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HISTORY 



OF 



LOUISIANA. 



/ 



GRACE KING, 

Author of''^ Bienville, ^^ etc. 



V 



JOHN R. FICKLEN, i^ 

Professor of History in Tiilane Unive\sitj^l. 




New Orleans : 
L. Graham & Sox, 

PRINTERS. 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1S93 

By grace king and JOHN R. FICKLEN, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 



^ '^'' 

^^" 



PREFACE 



In presenting this History of Louisiana to the people of the 
I State, the authors find it necessar ' to say a word of preface. Their 
I intention has been to write a histo. y that would give the children of 
I Louisiana a simple and true account of the progress of the State from 
I the earliest times of discovery down to the present era. It is hoped^ 
I however, that the work will not prove uninteresting to older persons 
as well. 

Every effort has been made to secure accuracy of detail; but as 
some errors may have crept in, the authors will be glad to receive 
notice of any that meet the eye of the critic. 

If a subsequent edition is demanded, the authors expect to enrich 
their work with further illustrations. Especially do they hope to 
obtain portraits of all the State governors — a task which it has been 
found impossible to accomplish in time for this edition. 

It may be added that all the artistic and mechanical portion of the 
work was done in New Orleans — the book is entirely a home product. 

The authors desire to thank the librarians of the Fisk^ the 
Howard, and the State Libraries for uniform courtesy and kindness 
in putting at their disposal the rich historical treasures from whicJi 
the materials of this work are drawn. 

Among these treasures the authors wish to acknowledge their 
special obligations to the Histories of Louisiana by the Hon. Charles 
Gayarre and Judge Martin; to Fiske's Discovery of America; to 
Margry's Documents; and to the official documents relating to the.' 
French and the Spanish Domination. 

Grateful acknowledgment is also made to E. H. Farrar, Esq., for 
the privilege he kindly granted of borrowing books and maps from 
his valuable library. 

The authors owe special thanks to Messrs. L. Graham & Son, 
printers, for the care they have taken in the execution of their share 
of the labor. 

In conclusion it is proper to state that Miss King wrote the first 
part of the history (as far as the end of the Spanish Domination),. 
and that Mr. Ficklen completed it. 



2 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

EXPLORATION. 

CHAPTER I. 
SPANISH EXPLORERS. 

Louisiana first became known to Europeans through its 
southern boundary, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 

Christopher Columbus. 1492. — Christopher Columbus, 
sailing east on his immortal voyage of discovery, touched 
the land of the New World on the islands which lie between 
the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. He did not penetrate 
hito the gulf itself, and knew nothing of the vast, beautiful 
country with its great central river which lay on the other side 
of it. On the return of Columbus to Spain, with the news 
of his great achievement, emulators and imitators arose in all 
the seaports of the kingdom, eager to reap wealth and fame 
also, by leading expeditions across the Atlantic to the New 
World beyond. 

Americus Vespucius. 1497. — On one of these expeditions 
sailed the celebrated astronomer and pilot,* Americus Ves- 
pucius. It is most probable that, sailing around the Island of 
Cuba and into the blue expanse of the gulf, the southern shore 
line of North America, from Florida to Central America, 
became known to him as afterwards the shore line of South 
America. 

Mississippi, 1502. — On an old map dated 1502, which 
has been traced to a Spanish chart of this voyage, the results I 
of such an exploration by Americus Vespucius has been 
preserved. In quaint, rude outlines the gulf shore and 
Florida are distinctly traced upon it; and cutting through 
the land and flowing into the gulf are the familiar three 
channels of the mouth or delta of the Mississippi- 

* It was the first of the four voyages of exploration made by Americus Vespucius, 
the written description of which attached his name to the country'. 



SPANISH EXPLORERS. 3 

Bimini. 1513. — This voyage of Vespucius was not followed 
up. The tide of exploration was turned toward South Ameri- 
ca and Florida. The Gulf Coast and the great river dropped 
back into the unknown. But the Indians of Cuba, pointing 
across the gulf to where the peninsula of Florida ran out 
into the blue waters, would tell their Spanish masters of a 
wonderful island over there, called the Island of Bimini. 
Upon it they said were great and splendid cities, vast riches 
of gold and silver, and, most strange of all, a fountain whose 
waters restored the aged to youth ; the fountain of youth they 
called it. 

Ponce De Leon. 1513-1521. — A Spanish cavalier, a 
friend of Columbus, obtained from the King of Spain per- 
mission to conquer it and make its wondrous possessions his 
own. He was beginning to get old, and, more than the riches 
Df Bimini, he coveted the waters of the fountain which would 
make him young and keep him so. He sailed thither in the 
year 15 13, with three brigantines. It was during the spring- 
time. Either from the quantities of beautiful flov/ers that 
met his eye when he landed or from the day, Easter, " Pascua 
Florida," in Spanish, he changed the name of the country 
[rom Bimini to Florida. He explored the coast and traveled 
inland some distance, but found neither the fountain nor 
the riches, nor any of the wonders promised by the Indians. 
He returned to Cuba, disappointed but not discouraged. 
NFine years later, in 152 1, he sailed over there again to make 
another attempt, but the Indians fiercely drove him off, and 
^ave him a wound, from which he died shortly after, in 
Cuba. 

Pineda. 1519. Mississippi River. — Between Ponce de 
Leon's two voyages to Florida, Alvarez de Pineda, coasting 
along the Gulf of Mexico, saw the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi river. He sailed into it, and spent six weeks upon its 
waters and banks. He called it the Espiritu Santo, River of 
:he Holy Spirit. He is probably the first European who ever 



4 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

entered it. He found the Indians friendly and eager to trade. 
They lived in great towns composed of many small villages, 
and wore ornaments of gold. 

Pamphilo de Narvaez. 1529.- -The reports of these great 
Indian villages and the gold ornaments excited the greed and 
cupidity of Pamphilo de Narvaez. He saw in Florida a 
country rivaling Mexico and Peru for rich plunder. With four 
hundred men and four ships he set sail for it from Cuba. He 
landed at Appalachee Bay and marched inland, ordering his 
fleet to remain on the watch for him in the gulf. At first 
they found fields of corn and Indian villages ; but afterward 
they journeyed for days through forest solitudes. Their cruelty 
to the Indians who fell into their hands kindled the fiercest 
retaliation against them. They w^ere compelled to fight every 
step of their way forward. Their food gave out, and they 
suffered the tortures of famine. Some of their captives, 
forced to act as guides, led them only into the thickest of 
swamps and forest, out of which they had barely strength to 
extricate themselves. Their search was now, not for gold, 
but for food. Finally, weak, faint and dispirited, they returned 
to the seashore. Their ships were nowhere in sight. After 
wandering along the coast aimlessly they, in despair, set to 
work to build boats to get away from their terrible condition. 
They constructed a bellows and forge. All their iron, even 
spurs and stirrups, were made into hatchets and nails. Their 
shirts they made into sails. Cordage was twisted from their 
horse's hair and palmetto fibre. They made pitch of pine 
rosin and oakum of palmetto bark. Every man joined ni the 
work. Every three days ahorse was killed for food. At length, 
five vessels were finished and all embarked, crowding the 
boats to the water's edge. After six weeks they came to a 
river so great that it freshened the sea water into which it 
flowed, so that they could drink it. It was the Mississippi, 
the Espiritu Santo, of Pineda. In the rough water off its 
mouth, two of the boats capsized and all on board drowned, 



SPANISH EXPLORERS. 



among them, Narvaez. The other three boats were driven 
ashore somewhere on the coast of Texas. Ten years after- 
ward, four gaunt, haggard men, looking more like animals 
than human beings, arrived in Mexico. They were all of the 
Narvaez expedition which had survived the massacre of the 
Indians, starvation, and the hardships of their wanderings. 

Hernando de Soto. 1539, — The last and most celebrated 
of the Spanish explorers of Florida was Hernando de Soto. 
De Soto had been with Pizarro in Peru, and had seen the 
^ast wealth of the Indians. Like Pamphilo de Narvaez, he 
thought what Pizarro could plunder in Peru, he could plun- 
ier in Florida. He set sail from Havana in 1539, with 570 
tnen, and 233 horses, in nine vessels. Never had so brilliant, 
50 well armed, so well provided an expedition started from 
Spanish shores. 

They landed at Tampa 
Bay, then called the Bay of 
Espiritu Santo. Here, with 
great pomp, De Soto took 
possession of the country for 
the Spanish king, and 
pitched his camp, confident 
of his future triumphs and 
booty. 

But before daylight, the 
Indians, who had been se- 
cretly watching him, at- 
tacked him in vast numbers, 
with terrific yells. Many of 
his men were killed before 
he could retreat to his boats. 
The Indians, with the cruelty 
)f Narvaez fresh in their memories, met the new invaders 
vith all the fierceness of their savage nature. Learning that 
)ne of the men of the Narvaez expedition was a slave in a 




HERNANDO DE SOTO. 

^e commenced his march. 



6 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

neighboring tribe, De Soto obtained possession of him as in- 
terpreter and guide. 

But Florida held no better fate for him than for Ponce 
de Leon and Narvaez. The country was poor. Instead of 
great Indian cities, with temples filled with treasures to sack, 
he found only moderately sized and sparsely scattered 
Indian villages, and in the naked, poorly armed Indians the 
fiercest and most vindictive of foes, who fought like demons, 
and neither gave nor sought quarter. More than once, De 
Soto's coolness and courage alone saved his own life and the 
lives of his army from utter destruction. Hoping always to 
find the gold and treasures and triumphs further north, he 
marched day after day, on and on. Through the wild terri- 
tories of the present States of Georgia and South Carolina 
he led his band, until they reached the Tennessee river. 
Turning then, upon his steps, he countermarched and jour- 
neyed toward the south, until the great village of the Manvilla 
or Mobile Indians rose before him. In a fierce battle here 
his men were killed in great numbers. 

But almost as deadly as the Indian arrows, were the fevers 
that broke out in the army and thinned his ranks day by 
day. Leaving Mobile behind him, he pushed forward 
again to the northwest, opening his way through thickets 
and forests, climbing over steep hills, fording morasses, and 
crossing innumerable streams that cut through the country. 

The Mississippi. 1541. — At length, after three years, he 
came to the banks of a mighty stream, over a mile wide, 
whose swift, turbid currents carried down great forest trees, 
which they had uprooted and torn away from their native 
soil. It was such a river as none in the army had ever seen 
before. 

De Soto named it El Rio Grande de la Florida ; the great 
river of Florida. He crossed it on rafts, at some points above 
the Arkansas, and led his army still forward toward the 
west. But he found in the west only what he had found 



SPANISH EXPLORERS. 7 

in the east and in the north and in the south ; sickness, 
misery, hardships, and Indians who pursued him like wolves. 
He came at last to the end of his hope and endurance. Re- 
treat was ordered. Once more the army was turned; and 
they marched until they came again to the banks of the Mis- 
sissippi. De Soto could march no further. The iron will 
and constitution which had seemed superhuman sank under 
the accumulated hardships, disappointments and ill health. 
Seized with a fever, he expired on the banks of the great 
river, surrounded by the gaunt, worn men who had followed 
him so trustfully and loyally. 

With his dying breath he appointed as successor Louis de 
Muscoso, his faithful lieutenant. To insure the dead body 
of their leader from Indian outrage, his followers wrapped it 
in skins, enclosed it in a hollow tree trunk, and in the silence 
and darkness of midnight they conveyed it to the middle of 
the mighty stream and sank it under the depths of its yellow 
currents.* 

Muscoso made an attempt to reach Mexico by land ; but 
he was forced to return to the Mississippi, where he and his 
men built boats, and so reached the mouth of the river. The 
vindictive Indians pursued them to the last, ambushing them 
from the banks and killing them with their deadly arrows. 
Setting sail upon the gulf, they reached, at last, the Spanish 
settlement on the coast of Mexico. More than half of their 
number had perished.' 

QUESTIONS. 

How did Louisiana first become known to Europeans? Did Co- 
lumbus know anything of the Mississippi? Who was AmericusVes- 
pucius? What coasts did he probably explore on the first voyage? 
When is the Mississippi first seen on a map? Was the exploration of 
Florida followed up? What was Bimini? Relate Indian stories about 
it? Who was Ponce de Leon? Why did he call the country Florida? 

*The precise locality has never been determined, but it is supposed to be near the 
mouth of the Red river. 



8 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Relate his voyage? Who was Pineda? What did he name the Mis- 
sissippi? Give an account of the expedition of Pamphilo de Narvaez? 
Who was Hernando de Soto? What did he hope to gain in Florida? 
Give an account of his march? When did he come to the Missis- 
sippi? What did he name it? Continue his march? Who was his 
successor? How was De Soto buried? What of Muscoso? 



CHAPTER II. 
FRENCH EXPLORERS. 

Re-discovery of the Mississippi. 1669. — One hundred 
and thirty- two years the Mississippi flowed over the dead body 
of De Soto, before another white man came into touch with 
its history. The fact of its existence had passed from mem- 
ory, and lived only in old charts and records stored in Span- 
ish archives. 

And now its chronicle takes us to a different country, and 
to a different nation. Instead of Spain and Spaniards, we 
have to do with Francer and the French, and instead of 
Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico, we must start from distant 
Canada and the Great Northern Lakes of America. 

Let us study it on the map. 

It will be seen that the French had entered and taken pos- 
session of the St. Lawrence river. They had founded the 
cities of Quebec and Montreal upon it, and made settlements 
in the neighboring regions. Little by little their missionaries 
and pioneers were advancmg west, planting the cross and 
the standard of France in the territory of the great lakes, 
Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. From the 
Indians that visited these mission houses and trading stations 
came the account of the vast countrv lying still further west 
and south ; a country unknown and unexplored yet by the 
white men. The accounts were not those by which the cu- 
pidity of the Spaniards had been aroused and they lured to 




OLD MAP OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 



9 



disaster. These Indians /described no fabulous kingdom 
lUed with gold and silver and precious stones. They spoke 
Dnly of the wonders of nature ; grand scenery, gigantic 
nountains, huge cataracts, immense forests and prairies, and 
Doundless hunting fields swarming with game. But above 
dl, they described a great river that they crossed to come to 
Canada, a river they called the Mississippi, which they said 
flowed the entire length of the continent, through a valley 
:eeming with riches and peopled with innumerable savage 
ribes to convert to the Christian faith and subdue to France. 
These stories, drifting to Montreal and Quebec, came to the 
jars of the Governor of Canada and of his intendant. But 
before reaching Montreal the stories had to pass through the 
settlement of the most celebrated pioneer France ever pos- 
sessed in this country, Robert Cavalier de la Salle. 

La Salle. 1669. — Robert Cavalier de la Salle was born 
n the city of Rouen, in Normandy, France. He was 

educated in the religious 
schools of the time, and 
came to Canada at the age 
of twenty-three, determined 
to make a name and fortune 
in New France, as it was 
called. He obtained a large 
grant of land on the St. 
Lawrence, a few miles 
above Montreal. Here 
clearing the forests and su- 
perintending the building of 
houses for his settlers, he 
LA SALLE. would, at thc closc of the 

lay, look out to that part of the heav^ens bright with the rays 
»f the setting sun, and he would think about the vast un- 




10 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

known region that lay between him and the west, and about 
the Indian stories of the great river that flowed through it to 
the sea on the other side of the continent ; a river so long, the 
Indians said, that it would take nine months to reach the 
end. 

La Salle, like most men of his day, thought that China lay 
just on the other side of this continent, consequently any 
river that flowed straight west to the sea would furnish a 
new, short and easy route between Europe and Asia. To 
be the first explorer of this route would indeed gain him 
fame and fortune. 

He hastened to Quebec and laid his plans to explore it be- 
fore the governor, who gave his consent but no money. La 
Salle, without hesitation, sold his settlement and with the 
money bought canoes and hired men. The expedition started 
from his settlement, which, as though it were really the first 
step on the road to China, received the name of *' La Chine.'' 

They paddled up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario and 
stopped at an Indian village to get a guide to the head waters 
of the Ohio, which would conduct them into the Mississippi. 

Louis Joliet. — Here La Salle met the man whose name 
with his own was to be inseparably connected with the Mis- 
sissippi. This was Louis Joliet. He was a young man of 
about La Salle's age, and like him full of energy and am- 
bition. He was a fur trader and pioneer, and was just re- 
turning from an expedition to Lake Superior. He also had 
heard of the Mississippi, but knew nothing beyond what the 
Indians had told him. 

La Salle proceeded on his way through Lake Erie, into the 
Ohio river, which he explored a long distance. Then return- 
ing he passed through Lakes Huron and Michigan, and 
crossed into the Illinois river and explored it. He was gone 
on his expedition two years. He never reached the Missis- 
sippi ; but he had learned the way to get into it. He returned 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 11 

to Canada for a larger expedition to carry out the larger 
schemes he had formed. 

Joliet and Marquette. 1672. — In the meantime a new 
governor was put over Canada ; the Count de Frontenac. 
The intendant, relating to him all the stories about the Mis- 
sissippi, advised him to pursue its discovery and exploration, 
and named Joliet as the proper man to be employed for it. 
Frontenac accepted both the advice of the intendant and the 
man of his choice, and Louis Joliet was commissioned to dis- 
icover and explore the Mississippi. Father Jacques Mar- 
quette, a Jesuit priest at Michilimakinak, was selected to ac- 
company him. 

Marquette. 1673. — Jacques Marquette was one of the 
noblest and purest missionaries that ever came to this coun- 
itry. Born of good and honorable family, in France, he sailed 
to Canada before he was thirty, to devote himself to the con- 
jversion of the savages. He learned six of their languages, 
land cheerfully braved all the dangers of their barbarous tem- 
pers, and the hardships of frontier life, to carry on his work 
lamong them. Far out on the great lakes he had advanced 
his missions, but an unexpected outbreak of the savages had 
driven him back to Michilimakinak. Here it was that Joliet 
jfound him and gave him the governor's commission. Mar- 
quette, in his lonely post, had heard much from the Indians 
about the Mississippi. As he thought over its majestic size ; 
of the mildness and fertility of its great valley, and of the 
number of Indian tribes living in it, it became the dearest 
wish of his heart to christianize so favored a region. With 
joy, therefore, he consented to accompany Joliet. Their 
preparations were soon made. They consisted of two birch 
bark canoes, five men, and a supply of smoked meat and In- 
dian corn. They started in the most beautiful time of the 
year in that region ; in the spring, the month of May. 

Joliet and Marquette. 1672. — As we followed La Salle, 
let us follow Joliet and Marquette also on the map. They 



12 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

journeyed around the mouth of Lake Michigan until they 
reached the mission of Father Claude Allouez.* Here 
they turned into Fox river, which led them across Lake 
Winnebago, and through a vast prairie country filled with 
wild rice, in which great flocks of birds fed. They 
passed villages of Kickapoo Indians to whom the priest and 
Joliet explained their expedition. The Indians stared with 
wonder at their temerity and tried to dissuade them from so 
perilous a journey, by telling them the most horrible tales of 
the cruelty and treachery of the Indians along the Mississippi. 

The priest and pioneer were not to be frightened, how- 
ever. They asked for guides and set out as soon as possible. 
They followed Fox river to the end, carried their canoes over 
to the Wisconsin, and launched them in that river. 

Mississippi Discovered. — For ten days they paddled 
down the Wisconsin, until from their right a broad, rapid 
current dashed across their course. It was the Upper Missis- 
sippi! Into it they turned their canoes. It bore them 
rapidly along. They gazed with wonder and awe at the 
panorama which nature here unfolded to them, hour after 
hour and day after day, as they advanced. The banks, 
covered with gigantic virgin forests, now rose into perpen- 
dicular heights, now sank into undulating plains. Wild 
animals darted in the thickets; from the edge of illimitable 
prairies buffalo stared at them from under their shaggy 
manes. They hauled up all kinds of strange fish in their 
nets. They no longer camped on the shores at night. Mind- 
ful of the Indians of the region, after cooking their supper 
on land, they carefully extinguished their fires, and, paddling 
out into the stream, anchored and slept there, with sentinels 
on watch. But no human being was to be seen. At last, 
one day, on the western bank, footprints in the mud caught 
their eyes. They were found to lead to a well beaten path, 

*A devoted Jesuit priest, who founded as early as 1670 this mission at St, 
Francis Xavier, as he named Green Bay. 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 13 

across the forest towards a prairie. Leaving their canoes in 
charge of the others, Marquette and Joliet set out to follow the 
path. They walked until they saw seven Indian villages in 
the distance. Then creeping cautiously along, they came 
near enough to hear talking in the wigwams. With a shout 
they made themselves known, and paused in anxious doubt 
whether their reception would be that of friends or foes. 
The Indians swarmed out of their wigwams like wasps out 
of their nests. For an instant all was wild excitement and 
confusion. Then calumet bearers were seen advancing with 
their peace pipes. Marquette and Joliet received them 
thankfully. 

The Indians proved to be the Illinois. Far from being foes 
they were most friendly to the French. A grand reception 
was at once held, which all the warriors, squaws and children 
attended. Marquette, standing forth among thern, pro- 
claimed his sacred message of the Christian faith, and the 
inature of the enterprise upon which he and Joliet were en- 
jgaged. The chief of the tribe responded in a speech, in 
which he expressed his joy at seeing the white men and his 
iadmiration of them, but implored them to proceed no fur- 
ther in their hazardous undertaking. 

All sat down now to a great feast, served in the highest 

Indian style. First there was a wooden bowl of sagamity or 

hominy, seasoned with bits of meat and grease, which the 

[ndians fed to their guests with wooden spoons, as though 

hey were infants. Then came fish. The Indians carefully 

emoving the bones and blowing on the morsels to cool them, 

Dlaced them with their own fingers in the mouths of their 

quests. The greatest savage luxury, roast dog, was then 

^resented, but learning that it was not palatable to the 

Driest, the Indians politely substituted buffalo meat in its 

tead. The night was passed talking and sleeping, stretched 

)ut on buffalo skins on the ground. The next morning an 

;scort of six hundred followed Marquette and his friend to 



14 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

their canoes, and waved them farewell as they pushed from 
the bank and paddled out of sight down the stream. 

The canoes passed the mouth of the Illinois, and shortly 
afterwards came to a huge towering rock, on the face of 
which the Indians had painted hideous monsters in red, 
green and yellow. The good priest, terrified at what he 
considered the work of the devil, hurried away from it, with 
many prayers and signs of the cross. 

And now, the great, rushing, yellow torrent of the Missouri 
poured into the stream before the travelers, turning the cur- 
rents into a muddy brown. Their canoes almost upset in 
the sudden whirlpool and eddies. On they paddled, past the 
site of the present city of St. Louis and the mouth of the 
Ohio. The highland scenery changed into lowland scenery; 
mosquitoes made their appearance. A few miles above the 
mouth of the Arkansas they came to the village of the Kap- 
pas Indians, who at first sight gave furious war cries and 
seized bows and arrows and made most terrific demonstra- 
tions. They were pacified, however, and feasted the voy- 
agers and permitted them to pursue their way unharmed. 

At the mouth of the Arkansas was a large village of the 
Arkansas Indians. These received the travelers well and 
entertained them hospitably. 

Marquette and Joliet decided that this should be the end 
of their exploration. They had found out that the Missis- 
sippi flowed south, not west, and that it emptied into the 
Gulf of Mexico, not into the Gulf of California. Thinking 
themselves much nearer the mouth of it than they really 
were, they feared if they went further they might fall into 
the hands of the Spaniards or of some hostile Indians, and so 
not be able to return at all. 

The canoes headed up stream, and they retraced their 
course to the Illinois, which they entered and so reached Lake 
Michigan and the mission house at Green Lake. But mid- 
summer heat and the long voyage were too much for the deli- 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 15 

rate body of the priest. He fell ill^ and on reaching 
jJreen Bay was too weak to continue the journey. It was 
hen the end of September. Joliet proceeded to Quebec 
ilone. He gave the governor the account of his and Mar- 
quette's voyage. Frontenac, delighted with the success of 
t, ordered public rejoicings, and, in sign of the French 
riumph, changed the name of the great river from Missis- 
ippi to Colbert, after the enlightened minister of Louis XIV. 
The saintly Marquette remained at Green Bay a year. 
Chinking then that his health was sufficiently restored, he re- 
urned to the beautiful country of the Illinois to found a 
nission there. He was received like an angel from heaven 
)y the Indians, and was entering on his pious work, 
vhen his disease came upon him again. He hastened his 
leparture, but he was not able to arrive at Green Bay ; his 
ufferings increased so violently that he was forced to stop 
•n the shores of Lake Michigan, where he expired and was 
)uried. 

QUESTIONS. 

How many years after De Soto before the Mississippi was again 
isited by white men? Describe the advance of the French into 
;;anada. How did they hear of the Mississippi? Who was La Salle? 
low did the idea of exploring the west come to him? What country 
id he think to reach in crossing the continent to the west? Relate 
hat followed. Who was Joliet? Continue with La Salle's expedi- 
ion. Did he get into the Mississippi? Who was the new governor 
f Canada? Who was named to accompany Joliet? Who was Mar- 
uette? How did Marquette and Joliet get into the Mississippi? 
V^hat Indian village did they pass? What did the Indians tell them 
f the Indians along the Mississippi? Describe the upper Missis- 
ippi. Relate the journey of Joliet and Marquette. Arrival of Joliet 
1 Canada? Death of Marquette? After whom did Frontenac name 
le Mississippi? 



16 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

CHAPTER III. 
FRENCH EXPLORERS CONTINUED. 

La Salle meanwhile had not been idle. Having thor- 
oughly explored the two ways to the Mississippi, he had set 
about to make his plans and preparations to take possession 
of the river itself. His plans, as a look at the map will show, 
were very grand and of vast importance to France. He pro- 
posed not only to explore the Mississippi to its mouth, but to 
build forts and trading posts as he went along in all favorable 
places, particularly at the mouths of those great rivers that 
flowed into the Mississippi. 

As France already possessed the great lakes at the north, 
this would make her mistress of all the great waterways of 
the country and give her the monopoly of all its trade. It 
was a scheme that instantly found favor with Frontenac, and 
as a first step toward accomplishing it he gave to La Salle 
the new fort he had just built. Fort Frontenac, and all the 
trading privileges attached to it. But to carry out such a 
scheme required a great outlay of money. La Salle went to 
France, where he secured the favor of the king and raised 
money for the enterprise, and in addition gained a friend and 
companion whose loyal faithfulness was never to swerve from 
him. This was Henri de Tonty, an Italian officer, surnamed 
the " Iron Hand,'* from an artificial hand of metal which he 
wore to replace the one he had lost in the wars.* 

For a year after his return to Canada La Salle was busily en- 
gaged making his preparations. An expedition of this size 
could not be carried in canoes ; large vessels were needed to 
convey the supplies of men, arms, ammunition, provisions 
and building material across the great lakes, and to bring 
back to Canada the large stores of furs which La Salle ex- 



* Tonty wore a glove over it, and made good use of it afterwards to astonish and 
keep the Indians in awe of him ; sometimes, wiih a slight tap from it cracking their 
jkuUs or knocking out their teeth. 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 17 

)ected to get from the Indians. He got his party together 
ind started from Frontenac, and advanced to Niagara river, 
Adhere they stopped to build a fort, and a vessel which was 
lamed the Griffin. They embarked again, and, sailing through 
l,akes Erie and Huron, and Lake Michigan, came to the 
nouth of the St. Joseph river. Here they stopped and built 

fort. Fort Miami. 

But it is one thing to plan expeditions and another to 
:arry them out. La Salle, for all his courage and fortitude, 
vas no leader. Proud, haughty, reserved and suspicious, 
lis men, instead of loving him, learned to dislike and fear 
lim. They deceived him, and stole from him ; they deserted 
It every opportunity ; they even tried to assassinate him. 

From Fort Miami the Griffin was sent back to Canada loaded 
vith a wealthy cargo of furs gathered from the Indians. 

Nothing was ever afterward heard of the vessel or cargo. 
u.a Salle always thought that the captain had scuttled her and 
nade away with the furs, which in those days were as good as 
^old. He pushed on in canoes up the St. Joseph to its end, 
md carried his canoes over the portage to the Kankakee, 
vhich flowed into the Illinois. But the Illinois Indians, so 
gentle and hospitable to Marquette, were distrustful of and 
avage to La Salle, French traders, jealous of La Salle's 
ur monopoly, had poisoned the minds of the natives agamst 
lim. He built his third fort on the Illinois river, a few miles 
bove the Indian village on Lake Peoria. From messengers 
rom Canada he heard here, besides the loss of the Griffin, 
hat his creditors had seized his property at Fort Frontenac. 
^rom his griefs and disappointments in the enterprise he 
^ave this stronghold the appropriate name of " Creve- 
!!oeur " (Broken Heart). 

With the Griffin and all his furs lost, his property in Can- 
da seized, his men deserting and mutinous, provisions ex- 
austed and no means at hand to replace them. La Salle saw 
imself forced to go to Canada for new supplies. He left 



IS HISTORY OP LOUISIANA. 

Fort Creve-Coeur in command of Tonty and set out with 
four men and an Indian guide. It was in early spring, the 
deep snow lay white upon the ground, the rivers and lakes 
were frozen over. He made the journey, over a thousand 
miles, mostly on foot with snow shoes, dragging his canoe 
after him.* 

He hastened through his business in Canada, and in the 
autumn he once more paddled his canoe through the waters 
of the St. Joseph, towards his fort. But what a different 
scene met his eye as he advanced. Fort Miami deserted and 
destroyed ; the great towns of the Illinois a shocking sight of 
rapine, cruelty and outrage ; blood and corpses, fire and 
havoc everywhere. He pushed on to Fort Creve-Coeur and 
Tonty. The fort was demolished, no human being visible. 
The bloody Iroquois had passed over the country, and noth- 
ing but the silent forests were left to bear witness to the 
thoroughness of their work. 

But the indefatigable explorer was only the more resolved 
not to give up. He had to return to Canada again and make 
a new start on his journey. He searched in every direction 
for traces of Tonty. He had given him up as massacred, 
when from some Indians on Green Bay he heard that the 
" Iron Hand " was still alive among the Indians of Lake On- 
tario. La Salle sped on, found him, and together they com- 
menced at the very beginning again to form their expedition. 

Success of La Salle. 1682. — They set out in the early 
winter, fifty-four of them, in canoes. Following the route 
with which they were now familiar, they got into the Illinois, 
and from it into the Mississippi. 

* Belore starting troin the fort, La Salle sent a priest in the expedition, named 
Heniu pin, to explore the sources ot the Illinois >iver. Hennepin was captured by 
the Sioux Indians and i-arned far up in the northwest. At the balls of St. Anthony, 
which he named after his patron saint, he was rescued by a Canadian " coureur de 
bois" (adventurer). Hennepin did not return to Fort Creve-Coeur, but went on to 
Canada, where he published an acco-int of his adventures. After La Salle's death, 
Hennepin claimed that, besides going up to tne Falls of St. Anthony, he had de- 
scended to the mouih of tlie river, and that he, not La Salle, was entitled to the 
honor ot its first exploration. His claim was proved to be false, and he untrust- 
worthy. 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 19 

They paddled down the Mississippi, gazing, as Marquette 

imd Joliet had done, with awe and wonder on the mighty 

tream turning and twisting before them through its forest- 

overed heights and slopes. Camping on the Chickasaw 

luffs they built a fort which they named Fort Prudhomme, 

fter one of the men who went hunting in the woods and did 

liot return. After six days* continual searching for him, La 

alle concluded he must have been killed and was proceed- 

ng without him, when he was found and brought to camp, 

Imost dead from hunger and fatigue. 

They stopped at the Kappas and Arkansas villages at the 
nouth of the Arkansas river, which had formed the 
]imit of Marquette's and Joliet's explorations. The In- 
ilians showed themselves gentle, kind hearted and hospitable. 
Vhen the smoking, feasting and entertainment following 
jheir reception was over, La Salle, with great pomp and cer- 
mony, erected a cross bearing the arms of the king of 
"ranee. The priest chanted a Latin hymn, the soldiers 
houted " Vive le roi!'' and La Salle in a loud voice pro- 
laimed that he took possession of the whole country in the 
ame of the king of France. The Indians standing around 
;tared in wonder and admiration. 

Arkansas guides piloted the party the rest of their way 
own the river. They showed La Salle on the right hand 
de of the river the path that led to the great Tensas village, 
n Lake Tensas, a few miles inland. While the rest of the 
xpedition waited at the river landing, Tonty with some of 
le men went on a visit to it. 

I Great Tensas Village. 1682. — It was indeed a great 
illage ; greater and handsomer than any Tonty had ever 

en in America. The wigwams were large and well built ; 
leir shape round. The walls were of pickets plastered with 
lortar, made of clay and moss ; the roofs were conical 
laped, formed of split canes fastened together, with a hole 

the pointed centre for a chimiiey. The temple of the sun 



20 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

and the lodge of the chief were built like the other wigwams, 
only larger and handsomer. On the roof of the temple 
and on each side the entrance were daubed rude pictures of 
animals. The inside was a dark, gloomy bare room, in 
which stood a kind of altar; before it burned a perpetual fire 
from three logs placed end to end. The temple was sur- 
rounded by a palisade on which was stuck the heads of the 
victims sacrificed to the sun god ; and before the door was a 
block of wood on which lay braids of hair, also from the sac- 
rificed. The chief and dignitaries of the village wore white 
mantles woven from the bark of the mulberry tree. They all 
came in state to visit La Salle at the bank of the river and 
returned loaded with presents which the generous French- 
man had bestowed upon them. 

Down to the Mouth of the Mississippi. 1682. — The 
explorers next stopped at the Natchez village, which in size 
and appearance was very like the Tensas. La Salle erected 
another cross here. The Houmas village, which came next, 
was passed in a fog without being seen. 

Then came Red river, rolling from the west, churning up 
the Mississippi into eddies and whirlpools and emptying into 
it great floating trees and masses of driftwood. The canoes 
glided unknownigly over the spot where the dead body of 
the unfortunate De Soto had been sunk in midnight burial, 
and sped unmolested between the banks from which the am- 
bushed warriors had sent their deadly arrows into Muscoso's 
flying band. At the Quinipissas village, warlike sounds 
broke into their peaceful, calm advance. But La Salle, 
anxious to avoid strife and bloodshed, hastened by unhe , 
ing. He stopped at a village he saw on the left bank ot 
the river. It was deserted, and some of the cabins were 
filled with corpses. It was the village of the Tangipahoas, 
destroyed by their enemies only a few days before. 

Now the river divided into three channels. The canoes 
paddled into them — and now the bright gleaming gulf 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 21 

pened out before them. Eyes gladened — Voices rose in 
nolits — The journey was ended — The task at last accom- 
lished — The Mississippi explored to its very mouth ! 

Taking Possession of the Mississippi. 1682. — La Salle 
limped to the land. By the grace of God and his own in- 
omitable will the plans formed at La Chine thirteen years 
efore, while his eyes looked across the forest toward the set- 
ng sun, had been realized. 

After sounding and exploring all around the mouth of the 
iver, the canoes filed up stream again and paddled along 
ntil they came to where the banks rose dry and firm above 
le muddy current. Here all landed — La Salle, Tonty, 
nests, Frenchmen, Canadians, Indians. After prayers and 
ymns of thanksgiving and praise, a great column was made 
nd erected, bearing the arms of the king of France. La 
alle, standing beside the column, made the following proc- 
imation in a loud voice: 

"In the name of the most high, mighty, invincible and victorious 
Prince, Louis the Great, by the grace of God King of France and of 
Navarre, fourteenth of that name, I, this 9th day of April, 16S2, in 
virtue of the commission of his Majesty, which I hold in my hand, and 
which may be seen by all whom it may concern, have taken, and do 
now take in the name of his Majesty and of his successors to the crown, 
possession of this country of Louisiana, the seas, harbors, ports, 
bays, adjacent straits, and all the nations, peoples, provinces, towns, 
cities, villages, mines, minerals, fisheries, streams and rivers within 
the extent of the said Louisiana, from the mouth of the great river, 
St. Louis, otherwise called the Ohio, as also along the river Colbert, 
or Mississippi, and the rivers which discharge themselves thereinto, 
. . . from its source as far as its mouth at the sea or Gulf of 
Mexico . . . from the assurance we have from the natives of 
this country that we were the first Europeans who have descended 
or ascended the said river Colbert; thereby protesting against all 
who may hereafter undertake to invade any or all of these aforesaid 
countries or lands to the prejudice of the rights of his Majesty, ac- 
quired by consent of the natives dwelling therein; of which and 
of all else that is needful, I hereby take to witness those who hear 
me, and demand an act of the notary, here present. 



22 HISTORY OF J.OUISIANA. 

The cross was then planted with further ceremonies and 
near it was buried a leaden plate engraved with the arms of 
the king of France, and the inscription, Ludovicus Magnus 
regnat: Louis the Great reigns. 

La Salle fell ill on the return voyage and was forced to 
stop at Fort Frudhomme, while Tonty carried the report of 
the expedition to Canada. By the middle of summer he was 
able to go to Fort Miami. There he remained for a year with 
Tonty, arranging plans for a new expedition. He then went 
to Canada and sailed to France. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was La Salle doing meanwhile? Give an account of his 
schemes? What friend did he gain in France? Continue La Salle's 
operations, start and iourney? What fort did he build on the St. 
Joseph? Continue account of journey? What was the location and 
name of his third fort? Why was La Salle forced to return to Canada? 
Relate his return? Who and what was Hennepin? Continue account 
of La Salle? Where is Fort Prudhomme? Describe Kappas and 
Arkansas village? Describe the great Tensas village? Quinipissas 
village? The deserted Tangipahoa village? Describe the act of 
taking possession? 



CHAPTER IV. 
FRENCH EXPLORERS CONTINUED. 

La Salle's new expedition was to be an entirely different 
enterprise from the last. Instead of undertaking again the 
long, difficult and dangerous journey from Canada, La Salle 
decided to sail direct from France, and found a colony at 
the mouth of the Mississippi, fetching at once all the settlers 
and materials necessary. When the colony was fairly es- 
tablished he intended to open communications with Canada, 
and build his line of forts and trading posts along the way 
to it. The Mississippi, it is true, did not lead to the west 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 23 

and to China, but it flowed south, leading to the mines of 
Mexico and the trading centres of Spanish America and the 
fWest Indies. He had visions of discovering in Louisiana 
[gold and silver mines as rich as those in Mexico, and of 
monopolizing all the commerce of the Gulf of Mexico and 
the Carribean Sea. He even looked forward, in case of a 
war between France and Spain, to the invading and captur- 
ing of Mexico itself. 

The court of France granted all that was needed for the 
new colony and forts, and La Salle, confident and full of 
hope, sailed with two hundred and eighty colonists, in four 
ships, from La Rochelle, in July, 1684. But from its be- 
ginning the enterprise seemed doomed to disaster and mis- 
fortune. 

The same unhappy faults of temper which made La Salle 
unpopular with his subordinates and companions before, 
produced dissensions again. His jealousy and tyranny be- 
came unbearable. Before he was half way across the ocean 
his men hated him ; he was in dispute with every officer in 
the squadron, and in open quarrel with Mr. de Beaujeu, the 
officer of the royal navy sent to escort him. At St. Domingo 
many of his men deserted. The rest suffered cruelly from 
an epidemic of fever then raging there. La Salle himself 
fell dangerously ill of it, and while he was slowly recovering 
he heard of the capture of one of his vessels and valuable 
cargo by the buccaneers. The news gave him a relapse, from 
which he came near dying. Finally he was able to set sail 
in the month of December. 

On the Gulf Coast. 1685.— On New Year's day, 1685, 
they came to anchor in sight of land. 

When he was at the mouth of the Mississippi, La Salle 
had taken its latitude, but not its longitude ; consequently he 
had to steer his ships with only half knowledge of the loca- 
tion of the point he was steering for. Had he sailed due 
north from the channel into the gulf, he would have hit it, 



24 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

but he heard such exaggerated accounts of the easterly cur- 
rents of the Gulf of Mexico that he thought he must take a 
westerly course to counteract them. A look at the map will 
show the result of his error. Instead of landing near the 
mouth of the Mississippi he landed four hundred miles away 
on the coast of Texas. 

The low sandy shore was the same as the shore around the 
Mississippi, and its configuration was not unlike the delta. Lu 
Salle was convinced that it was the delta of the Mississippi 
and would hear no contrary opinion from any of his officers. 
The ships sailed along the coast until they came to Mata- 
gorda Bay ; there the colony disembarked. One of the freight 
vessels wrecked entering the harbor and most of her cargo 
was lost. De Beaujeu, the royal escort, with his vessel, sailed 
back to France. A fort was built named Fort St. Louis, and 
the emigrants struggled along heroically for two years in their 
forlorn condition, building lodgings and fortifications and 
tilling the ground. But the seasons were against them, pro- 
visions and the supplies of clothing gave out, and sickness 
attacked them. The little graveyard filled, fuller and fuller. 
Worst of all, the last remaining vessel was wrecked and lost, 
and all communication with the mother country, all hope 
from the outside world, was cut off. Despair settled over the 
fort and its inmates. During this trying period. La Salle, 
always great in misfortunes, showed marvelous patience, 
courage and fortitude, day and night devoting himself to 
to those who had trusted their future to him. He was the 
last of the band, however, to open his eyes to the facts of 
his desperate situation, that instead of being on the Missis- 
sippi, he and his colony were castaways on an unknown and 
unexplored shore, out of reach of help of any French set- 
tlement. 

End of La Salle. 1687.— La Salle adopted the only re- 
source left him — to go on foot to Canada and fetch back 
help to the colony. He assembled what was left of his 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 25 

»vretched companions, only about forty now, and announced 
lis resolution to them. He selected those who were to ac- 
[company him, about twenty, among them his brother, the 
Abbe Cavalier, and his two nephews, a priest, and the young 
Frenchman, Joutel, who afterward wrote an account of the 
journey. The parting was sad and solemn, the women and 
young girls weeping bitterly. 

La Salle, still, notwithstanding the desperate nature of his 
mission, could not lay aside his haughty demeanor to his 
ompanions. The men under him, naturally lawless, had be- 
come savage with suffering and disappointment. They were 
not disposed to stand any discipline from their superiors. A 
dispute between some of them and La Salle's nephew re- 
sulted in the assassination of the nephew. The assassins 
then, for their own safety, forced all the men to join them, 
and to make themselves perfectly secure, and satisfy their 
long hatred against La Salle, waylaid him and murdered 
him. 

Joutel, the priest, and La Salle's brother made their es- 
icape from the assassins. Reaching the Arkansas, they got 
into the Mississippi, and from thence to Canada and France, 
where they arrived eighteen months after leaving the coast 
of Texas. Their appeal to the king in behalf of their com- 
panions of Fort St. Louis was in vain. Louis XIV would 
do nothing for them. Their fate was indeed most tragic. 
The Indians fell upon the fort and slaughtered all the in- 
mates with the exception of two children and one man, whom 
they kept prisoners. The Spaniards, who claimed this part 
of the country, sailing over there not long afterwards to drive 
the French away, found nothing but dilapidated walls and 
buildings and mutilated corpses. One man, however, had 
made a life-saving effort for La Salle. This was Tonty. In his 
distant fort on the Illinois river, he heard from Indians and 
Canadian tramps that La Salle was in the mouth of the river, 
shipwrecked and a prey to the Indians. Raising a band of 



26 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Canadians, he with all speed journeyed there. He found, of 
course, no trace of La Salle nor of his expedition. 

QUESTIONS. i 

How was the new expedition to be different from the last? What 
were La Salle's plans when the colony was established? When and 
with how many did he sail? What appears from the very beginning? 
What happened at St. Domingo? What did he do when the truth 
broke upon him? What happened? Who escaped? What did they 
do in France? What was the fate of the colony? Who made an at- ^ 
tempt in behalf of La Salle? 



CHAPTER V. 

FRENCH EXPLORERS CONTINUED. 

France was at the time plunged in war, fighting Spain, 
England, and the other principal powers of Europe com- 
bined against her in the league called the Holy Alliance. The 
Mississippi, the grand new territory of Louisiana, and the 
baandoned massacred colony of Matagorda Bay, were for- 
gotten in the excitement of great battles and sieges nearer 
home. But as soon as the peace of Ryswick was signed 
(1697), Louis XIV showed himself eager enough to take up 
and push La Salle's great scheme. 

Louis XIV, however, was not the only king of Europe 
who had his eyes fiexd on the rare prize of the Mississippi 
and Louisiana. There was, besides, William III, king of. 
England, anxious to gain it to add to his possessions in 
America. And there was also Charles II, king of Spain, 
determined that no power except his should be established 
over the gulf, and near his precious mines of Mexico. . 

Louis XIV's minister of marine was the Count Louis de 
Pontchartrain, a man of great moral worth and enlighten- 
ment. The Count de Pontchartrain's secretary and assistant 
was his son, Jerome Count de Maurepas, a young man of 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 



27 



It Uiant qualities, filled with ambition for himself and 
'')]• the glory of France. It was to these two men that 
France owed her triumphs over England and Spain in the 
contest for the possession of the Mississi^opi and Louisiana. 

When Louis XIV announced, after the peace of Ryswick, 
his determination to continue La Salle's enterprise, Pont- 
:hartrain, with energy and vigor, fitted out the expedition 
tor it, and Maurepas produced the man to lead it. This man 
vvas the great Canadian seaman, Pierre Lemoyne d'lber- 
rille. 

Iberville. 1698. — Iberville was the son of Charles Le 
Moyne. of Dieppe, Normandy, one of the earliest and most 
noted settlers of Canada. He was 
one of nine brothers, all of whom 
distinguished themselves working 
and fi-ghting for their country.* Of 
all the nine, Iberville was the most 
glorious, and it is with pride that 
Louisiana points to him as her 
founder. 

Before he was fourteen, he had 
become a good sailor by cruising 
in a vessel of his father's in the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence. After that he voy- 
aged on the Atlantic, sailing with 
skilful navigators, to and fro, be- 
ween Canada and France. Strong, active, daring and hand- 
ome, he never failed to please his superiors and secure the 
^ood fellowship of his subordinates ; and there seemed no 
nterprise on land or sea perilous enough to daunt him. His 




IBERVILLE. 



*The names of these famous brothers were Charles, Sieur de Longueuil ; Jacques, 
ieur de Sainte Helene; Paul Pierre, Sieur d'Iberville; Paul, Sieur de Alaricourt; 
rancois, Sieur de Bienville; Joseph, Sieur de Serigny; Louis, Sieur de Cha- 
jaugnayl; Jean Baptiste, Sieur de Bienville II; Francois Marie, Sieur de Sauvolc. 
"hree of them, Sainte Helene, Chateaugnay, and Bienville I, were killed in battle. 
our, Longueuil, Bienville II, Sauvole and Serigny, became governors of cities or 
rovinces. 



28 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

most famous exploits were against the English in Hudson's 
Bay and on the coast of New Foundland. In canoe or in 
snow shoes, brandishing gun, hatchet or cutlass, we see 
him ever in the front of his hardy band of Canadians and 
Indians, and always leading to success. From 1686, the 
year that the unfortunate La Salle was making his life and 
death struggle on the coast of Texas, until 169,7, when the 
Peace of Ryswick put an end to the war with England, he 
was the hero of one brilliant action after another, until his 
name in the reports from Canada to France became the sure 
sign of French victory and English defeat. 

When Maurepas, therefore, sent for Iberville and confided 
to him the mission of completing La Salle's work, he well 
knew that his man was one who had never disappointed ex- 
pectations of a friend or foe. 

Iberville's Expedition. 1698. — La Salle's failed plan 
was to be carried out. A colony was to be transported di- 
rectly from France to the Mississippi and settled there ; com- 
munications afterwards opened by river to Canada, and forts 
built at the mouths of all the important streams emptying 
into the Mississippi. 

Pontchartrain and Maurepas threw themselves heartily 
into pushing forward the preparations. Two frigates, the 
Badine and Marin, were fitted and manned witlr a picked 
crew ; and two freight ships were purchased and filled gen- 
erously with stores of ammunition, arms, provisions, presents 
for the Indians, etc. Iberville himself superintended every- 
thing on the spot ; selected his men, tried, tested his arms, and 
examined the provisions and presents for the Indians. For 
in all his enterprises Iberville never left anything to the chance 
of another man's sense of duty. 

Joutel was, after all his adventures, living peaceably in his 
native city of Rouen. Pontchartrain tried to induce him to 
join the expedition, but Joutel refused. He sent, however, 
to Iberville the journal he had written of La Salle's expedi- 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 29 

tion. It contained only the accounts of a great failure, but 
there is no surer way to success than by studying the reasons 
of another's failure. 

Everything being completed on the morning of the 24th of 
October, 1698, Iberville fired the signal from his frigate, the 
Badine, and led the way out of the harbor of Brest, followed 
by the Count de Surgeres in the Marin ; the heavily loaded 
freight ships sailed slower behind them. 

With Iberville sailed his young eighteen-year-old brother, 
Bienville, a midshipman ; with the Count de Surgeres sailed, 
as lieutenant, the Sieur de Sauvole,* both destined to be gov- 
ernors of Louisiana. 

One of the freight ships disappeared in a gale, off Ma- 
deira, and after a short search was given up as lost. The rest 
of the squadron, after a quick and uneventful voyage, ar- 
rived at St. Domingo, where they .made a hasty stay for sup- 
plies of fresh water and food. Here the royal escort, the 
Marquis de Chateaumorant, on the warship Francois, joined 
them, and shortly afterwards, much to the delight of the 
whole squadron, the lost freight ship made her appearance, 
with her mast broken, but not otherwise injured by the gale. 

Before he left France, Iberville had heard of an English 
expedition being fitted out also to discover and take posses- 
sion of the mouth of the Mississippi, and he had made up his 
mind, if it were to be a race, to be the first at the goal ; if a 
contest, to hold good, by ruse or force, his reputation against 
his rivals. 

Some English vessels had been sighted off St. Domingo ; 
fearing that they might belong to the English expedition, he 
hastened his departure, setting sail from the island on the last 
day of December. He took with him as pilot, Lawrence de 
Graff, one of the most noted buccaneers of the time and 



* The Sieur de Sauvole is sometimes confounded with Sauvole, the brother of 
Iberville and Bienville. He, however, was no relation to them. 



30 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

region, a man who had lived upon the Gulf ot Mexico and 
knew it thoroughly. 

They sailed through the channel of the Yucatan, and 
steered due north, across the Gulf of Mexico. Anchoring 
every night and sounding their way as they went along by 
day, they advanced slowly. It was not until the afternoon 
of the twenty-third day that land was sighted. Taking his 
bearings, Iberville found that he had struck the coast of 
Florida as he expected, just south of Apalachicola Bay. 

De Graff had spoken of a beautiful harbor on the coast of 
Florida, well known to buccaneers, who went there for mast 
timber and to get shelter from storms. Iberville, anxious to 
find and take possession of it, commenced a systematic 
search for it. He sent a barge to row in and explore close 
along the shore, while he brought the ships in as near as 
their draught permitted, and scanned the land with his glasses. 
Mile after mile was thus passed. Suddenly the barge sig- 
naled a bay ahead with the masts of vessels in it. Iberville 
thought the vessels must be English. He fired the signal 
to halt. The vessels in the bay, taking it for a warlike 
demonstration, answered with a volley of musketry. Then a 
fog fell and the vessels saw nothing of one another for hours. 
When it lifted, Iberville sent a party ashore and found out 
that the harbor was the one he was in search of, but that the 
Spaniards were in possession and had named it Santa Maria 
de Galvez de Pensacola. 

The disappointed French squadron remained at Pensacola 
several days and then set sail for Mobile Bay. 

Fearing opposition from the Spaniards, Iberville concealed 
from them the real object of his expedition, giving out in- 
stead that he was in search of some roving coureurs de bois, 
to whom he was carrying the king's orders to return to Can- 
ada. 

Mobile Bay. 1699. — The ships anchroed in front of Mo- 
bile Bay. Iberville, with his young brother, Bienville, crossed 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 81 

to the long, narrow island that lay like a breakwater 
between the gulf and the bay, and explored it. At one end 
they came to a ghastly heap of human bones, left from some 
ruthless Indian massacre ; so they named the island Massacre 
Island. A terrific storm broke over the fleet here. Iberville, 
engaged in sounding the channel, was driven with his men 
to one of the near little islands for shelter. For three days 
they were held there, storm-bound, the driving rain, mists 
and spray shutting them off from even the sight of their ves- 
sels in the gulf. 

When the storms had subsided and fair weather set in, 
Iberville explored the shores of Mobile Bay. Returning to 
the ships, anchors were raised and sails set for another 
stage of the search. 

Mobile Point and Massacre Island dropped in the distance 
behind them. Before them, in the beautiful blue, glistening 
waters to the north and northwest, other islands came Into 
view ; dots of white sand and green trees that seemed to float 
on the dancing waves. Iberville sent Bienville to look for 
harborage in them from the south wind that was threatening 
another storm. Bienville returned after an unsuccessful 
search and the ships sailed on anxiously in the stiffening 
breeze. Other islands appeared in the northwest, and nearer, 
in the south, two flat, sandy surfaces. Iberville ran into these 
and found the shelter he needed. It was Candlemas day, and 
the islands received the name of Chandeleurs Islands. In 
the morning, Bienville was again sent out to look for a har- 
borage among the Islands to the north and a pass between 
them. This time his search was successful. At daylight, 
Iberville, leading the way in the Badlne, steered his fleet 
through the pass between the two Islands and anchored safely 
in the harbor of Ship Island. 

His men, freed at last from their long confinement on ship- 
board, spread themselvesgladly over the small place, delight- 
ng in the rare abundance of fish and oysters. The live stock 



32 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

was landed ; the swine were put on the adjoining island, 
which the sailors named Cat Island, on account of the quan- 
tities of little animals upon it, which they took for cats. The 
little animals were really raccoons, and it is said that in a 
few years the swine destroyed them all. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the condition of France at the time? What followed 
after the Peace of Ryswick? Who, besides Louis XIV, wanted Louis- 
iana? Who was the Count de Pontchartrain? Who the Count de 
Maurepas? Who was Iberville? How many brothers had he? When 
were his most famous exploits performed? Whose plan was to be 
carried out? When did Iberville sail? Who sailed as midshipman 
under him? Who as lieutenant under Surgeres? Relate the voyage 
to San Domingo? What did Iberville hear before sailing from 
France? Whom did he take with him as pilot? How did he steer 
across the gulf? What part of the Florida coast was first sighted? 
What had De Graff spoken of? What harbor was it? Why did Iber- 
ville conceal his designs from the Spaniards? For what point did he 
set sail? Why was the island named Massacre? How was Chandeleur 
Islands named? Why was Cat Island so named? 



CHAPTER VI. 
FRENCH EXPLORERS CONTINUED. 

North of Ship Island, about twenty miles away, the low, 
scalloping shore line of the mainland could be seen, and upon 
it, with glasses, Iberville could distinguish the forms of Indians 
moving about. He lost no time in sailing over there in a 
sloop, well provided with presents for the Indians and well 
protected by a crew of Canadians. Bienville accompanied 
him in a canoe. Landing, they followed the tracks of the In- 
dians, and came to where they could see canoes full of them 
busily crossing to and fro between Deer Island and Biloxi. 
At sight of the white men the natives abandoned their 
canoes and fled in terror. The Canadians pursued, but were 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 33 

Dnly able to come up with one of them, a poor old man who 
ay helpless on the beach, unable to move on account of a 
putrefying sore on his leg. He was moaning and shivering 
»vith cold and pain and seemed to expect instant death from 
he white men. The Canadians reassured him by signs, 
:ook him in their arms and carefully carried him higher up 
the beach — laid him on a buffalo skin and kindled a fire 
:o warm him. They put a handsome present of tobacco near 
[lim, and, to show that they did not intend anything un- 
friendly, drew up the abandoned canoes of provisions on the 
beach and left them. A squaw, as old and almost as 
wretched as the man, seeing that the white men did nothing 
warlike, crept out of the woods where she had been hiding 
and watching, and joined the group. The Canadians with- 
drew and left them together. 

During the night the old woman slipped away to carry the 
aews and some of the tobacco to her tribe. In the morning 
the Canadians found a piteous spectacle ; the fire had caught 
on the weeds and grasses around the old man, and the poor 
wretch lay half burned. The Canadians did what they could 
to ease his pains, but in a few moments he died. 

The old squaw returned, bringing some of her tribe with 
her, and later in the day many more came slipping out of 
the forest to jom in the smoking and feasting of the white 
men, and received some of the tobacco, hatchets, knives, 
beads and paint which Iberville distributed with a generous 
band. He finally succeeded in gaining their good will and 
onfidence sufficiently to induce three of the chiefs to go with 
him on a visit to the ships, Bienville and two Canadians 
being left behind as hostages. 

Ship Island. 1698. — As the boats approached the ships 
the chiefs stood up and began to chant their peace songs. 
Their reception gratified their vanity exceedingly. Iberville 
had cannon shot off, and the ships put through their manoeu- 
vres and gave them a great feast with sagamity made with 



34 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

prunes. He gave them, also, brandy to drink, which aston- 
ished them greatly, burning their stomachs so long after it 
was swallowed. But what excited their greatest wonder and 
admiration was the spy glass, by which they could see so far 
with one eye, while the other eye stayed at home. They ex- 
amined everything on the floating houses, as they called the 
ships, with the greatest curiosity. They belonged to the 
Annochy and Biloxi tribes and lived on the Pascagoula 
river. They did not know anything of the Mississippi, nor 
of any of the tribes met by La Salle. 

When Iberville returned with them to the mainland, he 
found Bienville making friends with a new set of Indians. 
These were a party of Bayougoulas and Mongoulachas war- 
riors who were out on a hunt, but hearing the sound of cannon 
they had hastened to the seashore to find out what it was. 
Much to Iberville's gratification they lived on the banks ot 
the Mississippi, which they called the Meschacebe, and knew 
the tribes met by La Salle. Iberville gave them a store of 
presents, among them a calumet or peace pipe, such as thev 
had never seen before. It was of metal, shaped like a ship 
under full sail, flying the lily banner of France. The evening 
was passed in a great jollity, with singing and dancing and 
telling of stories around the camp fire. In the morning the 
warriors left to continue their hunt, promising to return in 
three days and guide Iberville by the little river they traveled 
on into the Mississippi. They were to light a fire at the camp 
on the seashore, as the signal of their return, and Iberville 
was to answer by a cannon shot. Iberville sailed back to his 
ships, elated. Once guided into the river, all that he had to 
do to accomplish his task, was to follow it to its mouth, fix 
the exact latitude and longitude, make his way to Ship 
Island, get his vessels and sail there. 

Twenty-four hours later, a day too soon for the appoint- 
ment, the signal fire was descried on the mainland. Iberville, 
with all haste, sailed over to the spot. But he found only 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 35 

he forest ablaze from the fire ; not an Indian was to be seen. 
3e returned disappointed to Ship Island. 

Looking for the Mouth of the Mississippi. — The next 
lay, however, he had another expedition ready to execute his 
irst plan. Two sloops were manned with a good force of 
!;!anadians, sailors and filibusters,* and provided withample 
upplies of ammunition and food for six weeks and each car- 
ying a canoe in tow. Iberville commanded one, Sauvole the 
ither. They sailed from the ships, and steered south, where 
n clear wafer low lying groups of bare, sandy islands could 
DC seen. 

In the Mississippi Delta. — It was Friday, the 37th of 
ebruary. The wind was from the southeast, with rain and 
•g. The sea tossed restlessly. Running the length of the 
irst inland, the boats entered the strange scene of the Missis- 
ippi delta. Far as the eye could reach, islands small and 
peat rose before them. Some standing high and dry, others 
ippled over by the slightest wave. Here the water broad- 
ned out into deep, handsome bays ; there it crested and 
urled into sheets of foam, over rising bottoms and sand bars. 
[v[o vegetation was to be seen except willows and osiers. The 
nen struggled with sail and oar to find a v\^ay through the 
vatery maze ; consuming hours to get around one island only 
o find another blocking their path. Well tired out at night, 
hey pitched their camp on the nearest dry land. They made 
ow and then catches of fish and gathered oysters to add to 
heir fare. The only game they saw was wild-cats ; great 
ough, red-furred animals. On Sunday such a furious storm 
)roke over them that they could not leave their camp. The 
bunder pealed as they had never heard it before ; the light- 
ling flashed fearfully; the rain descended in torrents. The 
vater rose until it stood two inches over the highest part 
f their island, and the waves swept it from end to end. 

*The term filibuster is derived from " flibote," a small, fast sailing vessel used 
y the Dutch. It was applied to roving- adventurers who formerly sailed the Gulf 
f Mexico in search of conquest and plunder. 



36 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

The day was passed cutting osiers and piling them up to 
stand on, catching rain for drinking water, and during the 
showers hanging shivering over the smouldering fire to pro- 
tect it. 

Finding the Mississippi. Monday, March 2, 1699. — 
On Monday the weather permitted an early start. Steering 
always south and southeast, the sloops kept the irregular 
shore line to the right in view, so as not to pass any river 
that might be there. The northeast wind rose to a gale and 
the sea broke over the small barks. The canoes were taken 
up and shipped inside, and the men took turns holding their 
gummed cloths down over the deck by main strength, to 
keep the water from pouring in and swamping them. Tack- 
ing this way and that, first off the shore for fear of being 
beached, then on, for fear of being engulfed in the raging 
sea, the sloops fought their way along. For three hours they 
battled gallantly to double a rocky point that rose grim and 
threatening before them. The night was coming on. The 
bad weather showed no signs of abatement. Iberville saw 
before him no hope. He must either be wrecked ashore or 
perish at sea during the night. Determined to seize the one 
chance of daylight for himself and his men, he grasped the 
tiller, put his sloop about, and, with the wind full astern, 
drove her upon the rocks. The other sloops followed his 
example. But, to his wonder, as he approached, the rocks 
opened out before him and through the openings whitish 
muddy water gushed into the gulf. He steered into it, tasted 
it ; it was fresh ; the Mississippi was discovered ! 

The murderous rocks were only driftwood, piled in huge, 
fantastic shapes, covered with deposits of Mississippi mud, 
hardened into cement by sun and wind ! They looked indeed 
like the palisades which made the Spaniards call the river the 
Palissado. 

The boats advanced up the river until they came to a good 
camping place. Then landing, lighting their fires, and put- 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 37 

ting their supper to cook, the men threw themselves upon the 
rushes and enjoyed the rest they had so richly earned. 

It was the last Monday of the carnival ; as the stars came 
out, and the savory fragrance of their homely repast stole 
upon the air, they could not help contrasting their day's 
work with the masquerading and frolicking of friends and 
relatives in the old world. And they exulted in the dangers 
they had run, and the brave success they had met, for, as 
Iberville said, it was a gallant task, discovering unknown 
shores in boats that were not large enough to keep to sea 
in a gale, and yet were too large to land on a shelving shore, 
where they touch and strand a mile out. 

QUESTIONS. 

What lay to the north of Ship Island? Relate what followed. Give 
episode of the old Indian. Describe the reception and entertainment 
of the Indians at Ship Island. To what tribe did they belong? Did 
they know anything of the Mississippi or of the Indians met by La 
Salle? What did Iberville find on his return to the mainland? To 
what tribe did these Indians belong? Where did they live? What 
did they promise Iberville? What followed? Continue with the 
start on Monday. What course did the boats pursue? Why? De- 
scribe the gale. Relate what followed. What were the murderous rocks 
at the mouth of the river? What had the Spaniards called the river? 
What day was it? 

»-♦-« 

CHAPTER VII. 
FRENCH EXPLORERS CONTINUED. 

The next morning Mardi Gras, mass was celebrated, the 
Te Deum sung, and a cross and the arm.s of the king of 
France erected. The boats pushed off from the shore for 
the exploration of the river. Like De Soto and La Salle, 
Iberville gazed with awe at the mighty stream which rolled 
before him, whose currents bore down what appeared to be 
floating forests. The boats had hard work to make any head- 



38 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

way with such a current against them ; they needed a new 
wind for every turn, and could not make much use of 
their sails, and the men at the oars declared they rowed six 
miles to progress one. Their first day's journey ended at the 
little bayou named Mardi Gras for the day. 

The low, grass covered banks began to rise higher and 
higher as they advanced. Instead of willows and sedges, 
oaks and magnolias and thickly grown forests gradually 
made their appearance. 

Bienville, paddling ahead to reconnoitre, would sometimes 
startle up flocks of ducks and sarcelles ; and sometimes deer, 
wild beeves, raccoons and opossums running along the bank, 
would tempt the Canadians into a hunt ; and great was the 
rejoicing around the camp fire when fresh game was brought 
in to add to their larder. Several alligators were killed and 
the meat cooked, but it was not exactly enjoyed. Every 
afternoon when the camp was pitched the cannon was fired 
off to attract the attention of any Indians thereabouts, and 
Iberville would climb to the top of a tall tree to take obser- 
vations of the new country about him. They saw no Indians 
until the fifth day, when turning a bend the explorers came 
upon two in a pirogue. But in a flash, they leaped to shore 
and disappeared in the woods. A gun shot further on, five 
pirogues full of Indians were seen. Iberville succeeded in 
speaking with them. These Indians belonged to the Annochy^ 
tribe, which lived, as we have seen, along the lake shores. 
They gladly traded their stores of dried meat to the French- 
men. One old fellow in particular was most enterprising ; 
spreading out his entire stock and sitting behind it in market 
style, bargained the whole of it — a hundred pounds — for two 
knives. The Annochys knew the Bayougoula hunters who 
were met by Iberville and they gave him a guide to their vil- 
lage 

Site of New Orleans. — That night the camp was pitched 
close to the spot selected by Bienville twenty years afterwards 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 39 

for the site of New Orleans. Near by was a deserted Indian 
village formerly inhabited by the Quinpissas. It consisted 
of ten cabins, thatched with palmetto. On a tall point 
of the bank commanding the river, was a fortified oval 
shaped cabin, surrounded by a palisade. A few miles higher 
up the guide conducted Iberville to the portage used by the 
Indians in their journeys between the river and the lakes* 
Taking their pirogues out of the river, they had only to drag 
them over a short road to launch them into a bayou that ran 
into the lake. Both banks of the river in this locality were 
covered with canebrakes of enormous height and thickness. 

At Bayou Plaquemines, then called Bayou Ouacha, 
from the Oaacha Indians living on it, two large pirogues of 
Ouachas and Bayougoulas were met. As soon as the Bayou- 
jgoulas heard that the French intended visiting their village, 
they turned back in their pirogues to announce the news, so 
that a reception could be prepared. The next day, when the 
|boats arrived in sight of the landing, a pirogue of Bayou- 
'^oula and Mongoulacha warriors came out to meet them, 
2han<:ing peace songs and brandishing their calumets, gaily 
jadorned with brilliant feathers. At the landing the white 
'men, according to Indian notions of politeness, were ten- 
derly helped from their boats, supported under their elbows, 
land conducted to where the chief sat, surrounded by the 
squaws and warriors of the united Bayougoula and Mon- 
2:oulacha tribes. Mats of cane and skins were spread on 
:he ground in a cleared space for the guests. In the centre, 
resting on two forked sticks, guarded by two warriors who 
lever took their eyes from it, was the precious calumet pre- 
jented by Iberville on the lake shore. 

Traces of Tonty. — The chief, a man of great pride and 
dignity, wore a coat of blue French serge. Iberville's first 
:|uestion was to find out where it came from. The chief 
mswered that it had been given him by Tonty, of the 
[ron Hand, who had paid his tribe a visit in passing along 



40 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

the river. The next day, when Iberville went over to the 
village, a lew miles inland from the river, he discovered 
among the treasures of the temple a glass bottle, which the 
Iron Hand had also left in the tribe. 

The Bayougoulas and Mongoulachas. 1699. — The vil- 
lage of theBayougoulas and Mongoulachas resembled almost 
identically that of the Tensas. There were only one hun- 
dred and fifty inhabitants in the village, a great many having 
died off in a recent epidemic. The cabins were cleanly kept. 
The bed frames, about two feet above the ground, had bark- 
covered branches the size of a man's arm, laid close together 
for mattresses, cane mats for sheets, and skins for covering. 
The only other furniture was earthen pots which the women 
made very nicely. The women tied their hair high on top of 
their heads and wore girdles of cloth woven from the fibres 
of trees, colored red and white and fringed with long cords 
that fell to the knee and shook with every movement of the 
body. The little girls wore girdles of moss. The men went 
naked except on grand occasions, when they tied around 
them a kind of sash made of feathers strung together and 
weighted at the ends with bits of stone or metal, which 
jangled and tinkled gaily when they danced. The warriors 
were handsome, well made and active, but very lazy. The 
fields for corn and pumpkin were small, and were tilled 
with implements of bone. When the crops were gathered 
they were used as play grounds by the tribes. There were 
a few chickens in the tribe which were said to have come 
from tribes in the far west, evidently from some of the Span- 
ish possessions. The dead, wrapped in straw mats, were 
placed on little conical, covered platforms, raised all around 
the village, attracting great crowds of buzzards and dissem- 
inating loathsome odors. 

The tribe regarded the opossum with particular venera- 
tion, but the French found it only a hideous combination of 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 41 

Ugliness, with its pig's head, rat's tail, badger's skin and 
pouched stomach. 

To requite the hospitality and friendliness of these Indi- 
ans, Iberville spread upon the ground before them a dazzling 
array of presents — scarlet doublets embroidered in gold, 
scarlet hose, blankets, shirts, mirrors, beads, hatchets and 
knives. The Indians gave also of their best in return ; feasts 
and entertainments, abundant supplies of corn and twelve 
large dressed deer skins. 

From accounts that he had of La Salle's Mississippi ex- 
ploration, Iberville understood that there was a fork about 
here in the river. His plan was to return to the gulf by 
this fork. But when he questioned the Bayougoulas they 
denied that there was any fork in the river, and said that 
when Tonty went to rescue La Salle he had paddled the same 
way both up and down the Mississippi. Fearing that the 
Bayougoulas might be deceiving him and concealing one of 
the outlets of the Mississippi, Iberville decided to go on to 
the next tribe, the Houmas, and interview them. One of 
the Bayougoula chiefs and a party of warriors accompanied 
him as guides and introducers to the Houmas. 

Manchac. — On the way the Bayougoula chief pointed out 
on the right a small stream, which he said was the only stream 
he knew that ran from the Mississippi into the gulf. It was 
called Ascantia, now Bayou Iberville or Manchac. Some 
miles further on, on the right bank, they came to a small 
river celebrated for its fish, that formed the boundary line 
between the hunting grounds of the Houmas and the Bayou- 
goulas. 

Baton Rouge. — Here Iberville saw a tall, red, leafless corn 
stalk, hung with offerings of fish and game by the Indian 
hunters. The Frenchmen called it a " Baton Rouge," and 
thus named the spot afterwards to become the capital of 
Louisiana. 



42 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Pointe Coupee. — The next day the chief pointed to a tiny 
stream running into the river on the left, and said if the 
boats could only get through it, they would cut off a whole 
day's journey. Iberville was not the man to be stopped by 
an" if." He put his Canadians at once to work. A huge 
drift pile was cut away, the bottom of the stream was deep- 
ened and cleared, and the boats were slowly towed through 
and launched into the Mississippi, just eighteen miles above 
the point where they had left it. The Mississippi in course 
of time adopted this cut-off also, and in a few years aban- 
doned its old channel entirely for it. 

The Houmas. 1699. — The Houmas' reception was even 
more cordial than that of the Bayougoulas and Mongoul- 
achas. A delegation of them were waiting to welcome Iber- 
ville at their landing, and there was no end to their ceremo- 
nies and professions of friendship. Iberville, who did not 
smoke, complained of the number of times he had to smoke 
the calumet. When it was at last over the officers of the 
party and the delegation set out for the Houma village, some 
eight miles inland. The Indians kept up their peace songs 
all the way, leading their guests up and down hill, through 
canebrakes and swamps, at such a pace that the heavily clad 
Frenchmen were severely tasked to follow them. 

At the entrance to the village the chiefs and principal 
warriors advanced, brandishing crosses made of white wood. 
All assembled in the open space in the centre of the village, 
where presents were exhibited, speeches made, more calu- 
mets smoked, and a great feast served. In the afternoon the 
handsomest of the young warriors and squaws, in all their 
finery of paints, feathers and jingling girdles, bounded from 
behind the trees and danced until late in the evening, to an 
orchestra of gourd rattles.* 

Then all adjourned to the great cabin of the chief, where, 
lighted by huge blazing fagots of cane, the frolic was kept 

•Called Chichieconchy, made of hollow gourds with pebbles inside. 



FRENCH EXPLORERS. 43 

p till midnight. The French officers retired to the couches 
repared for them, but not to sleep, for the chiefs harangued 
ne another with interminable addresses until daylight. 

The Houma village was large and well built, like that of 
le Bayougoulas, but the tribe had also been very much 
ainned by a recent epidemic. They knew Tonty, who had 
assed several days with them, leaving his boats at the same 
ending where Iberville left his. But they said also that they 
■new of no fork in the river. Thinking that, like the Bayou- 
•oulas, they might have some reason for deceiving him, 
berville determined to bring his visit to an end and hurry 
n to the Tensas and question them. Some of the Houmas 
.nd a Tensas Indian visitor consented to go with them. 

Turning Point. 1699. — The boats pushed away from the 
anding ; the oarsmen showing fatigue and discouragement 
ifter their long, hard pull up the river, on no better rations 
han sagamity with an occasional treat of dried beef. Stop- 
)ing for dinner, Iberville cross-examined all the Indians 
igain, separately, about the fork in the river. They all agreed 
hat the Mississippi flowed without a break to the gulf and 
hat La Salle and Tonty had never traveled but one way to 
he gulf and back. He was forced to believe them. The 
3ayougoula chief, to prove his veracity, confessed to Iberville 
hat Tonty had left a letter in his tribe to be delivered to a 
i^renchman, who was to come up from the sea (evidently 
iieaning La Salle). The letter had been kept a secret from 
[berville out of the suspiciousness and distrust natural to the 
ndian in treating with the white man. 

As he was pushed both for time and provisions, Iberville 
concluded that a further journey would be unwise and use- 
ess. He gave the orders ; the boats were turned around. 

Rowing down stream, the men easily put mile after mile 
behind them. Arrived at the bayou called Ascantia, Iber- 
nlle decided to go through it to the gulf. He left Sauvole in 
:ommand of the expedition, and charged Bienville to obtain 



44 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

at any price Tonty's letter from the Bayougoula village ; and 
with two canoes, four Canadians and an Indian guide, he 
pushed his way through the tangled opening of what was 
called henceforth Bayou Iberville. 

Bayou Iberville. 1699. — It proved to be but ten feet 
wide and three feet deep at most, and so choked up as to be 
almost impassable for even a pirogue. The first day they 
traveled twenty-one miles and made fifty portages over fallen 
trees and rafts. After a few days the Indian guide deserted. 
Iberville continued without him, resolved to show the natives 
that he was not dependent upon them. Then one of the 
Canadians fell ill, and Iberville had to take his place, not 
only paddling the pirogue, but in carrying an end of it over 
the portages. He noted with delight the beautiful country 
through which the Ascantia flowed. He said it was one of 
the finest he had ever seen — rich soil, handsome forests, and 
no canebrakes. The river was filled with fish, and alligators 
were so thick in it that at times he seemed to be paddling 
through a solid mass of them. He heard wild turkeys in 
quantities, but he did not succeed in killing any. 

The first lake he came to he named after his young pro- 
tector, the count de Maurepas ; the second after the count de 
Pontchartrain. 

Camping at night on the low grassy points or islands 
around the lakes, he made acquaintance with those pests of 
hunters and fishermen, mosquitoes ; " terrible little animals," 
he calls them, *' to men in need of rest." j 

Traveling from twenty to thirty-six miles a day, he soon 
came to the shores opposite Ship Island. He crossed over 
and mounted the deck of the Badine, -just one month and 
two hours after he had started on his expedition. Eight 
hours later Sauvole and Bienville were seen speeding their 
way across the gulf. 

Bienville brought the precious letter left by Tonty. He 
had bought it for a hatchet. It was addressed to M. de la 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 45 

ille, Governor General of Louisiana, and contained the 
count of the loyal pioneer's efforts to rescue his friend, 
e said he had found the cross erected by La Salle eight 
ars before, lying half buried in the sand, and had set it up 
[nm twenty- one miles higher up the river. He had left 
lOther letter for De La Salle concealed in the hollow of a 
ie near the cross. As we have seen, no cross was found 
' the Iberville expedition, either going up or coming down 
e river; it had disappeared, and with it all clue to the 
her letter. 

QUESTIONS. 

What took place Mardi Gras morning? Account of journey up the 
/er? The meeting with the Indians? Where did the French camp 
at night? What of the portage? Describe arrival and reception at 
lyougoula and Mongoulacha landing? What did the chief wear? 
hat was this trip of Tonty's? Describe Bayougoula and Mongoul- 
ha village? What of the Ascantia? Relate origin of the name of 
Lton Rouge? What about Pointe Coupee? Describe Houmarecep- 
)n? Welcome of French? Did the Houmas know of the fork in 
e river? What did Iberville do at noon? What did Mongoulacha 
ief confess? What did Iberville conclude? What did he decide 
lout the Ascantia? What was the Ascantia henceforth called ? When 
Id he arrive at his ships? What did Bienville bring? 



FRENCH DOMINATION 



CHAPTER VIIL 
ESTABLISHMENT. 

Iberville had intended to take possession of the mouth of 
e river by making an establishment there. But now, with 
Tie and provisions running short, he saw that he must select 
me spot nearer Ship Island and his vessels. His choice lay 
tween a site on Lake Pontchartrain ; the mouth of the 



46 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 




FRENCH DOMINATION. 47 

iscagoula river, and the Bay of Biloxi. The advantages 
the latter were found so superior to those offered by the 
her two places that he decided in favor of it. 
The spot selected for the fort was the highest point on the 
;ing ground on the eastern shore of the bay. Work 
as commenced upon it immediately. Trees were cut, 
space cleared and the fort laid out. The barges and 
lall boats plied incessantly between it and the ships, 
tching over the supplies of tools, implements, provisions, 
ms and ammunition, and the details of workmen drawn 
)m the crews. The logs for the bastions and stockades 
ive cut a mile and a half away and boated to the building. 
)rn and peas were sown in the clearings. In six weeks 
ough was completed to justify Iberville's leaving for 
ance. He put the Sieur de Sauvole in command, and Bien- 
le second in command under him. Then taking with him 
dy the men and provisions necessary for his own ships, he 
jled for France. 

jSauvole vigorously carried on the work left him to do. He 
.ished the fort, maintained discipline among his men, and 
ide friends with his Indian neighbors. Almost every week 
)ught a visit from some of them, prompted by curiosity 
greed. 

The first to make an appearance was their old acquaint- 

:e, Autobiscania, the Bayougoula chjef, with a party of 

warriors. They were received with military honors, 

ich duly terrified them, as was intended ; but the presents 

issured them, particularly the shirts, which to their great 

ight were fitted upon theYn. They looked with wonder at 

fort, astonished that the French could get together and pile 

such a number of great logs in so short a space of time. 

I went well until the sentinel came at nightfall to get the 

vtchword from the sergeant. The whisperings threw the 

I ians into lively fears of treachery, out of which Sauvole 

A to calm and soothe them. 



48 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

At daylight they confessed that their wives were on. the 
side of the bay, and they would also like to see the fort. 
Permission being given, the savage dames were sent for. 
They landed ; Autobiscania, anxious that the show should 
be equal to female expectations, made signs to Sauvole to 
put his men under arms, and ran himself to hunt up the 
drummer. The visit terminated to the satisfaction of all. 

Bienville's Explorations. — After Iberville's departure 
from Biloxi, while Sauvole was regulating the affairs of the 
fort, Bienville proceeded to make acquaintance with the na- 
tives and country about him. He visited the Quinipissas, 
who lived on the shores of Lake Maurepas, and sought out 
the villages of the Moctobys, Biloxis, and Pascagoulas along 
the Pascagoula river. From there he went to Mobile Bay 
again and explored it, and made a reconnoissance on foot 
of Pensacola and its surroundings. On his return to Biloxi, 
he, with two pirogues and five Indians, set out once more to 
retrace Iberville's journey through the lakes and Bayou Iber- 
ville into the Mississippi, and to explore Bayou Plaquemine. 
But he found the Indians living on Bayou Plaquemine, the 
Ouachas, Chouachas and Opelousas, so ferocious and menac- 
ing that he was glad to beat a retreat to the Mississippi 
again. 

Paddling his way confidently along to within twenty-three, 
miles of its mouth, he rounded a bend and was arrested by a 
sight which startled and transfixed him. A corvette lay 
anchored mid-stream before him. He sent his companion 
pirogue forward to speak the vessel. It proved to be Eng- 
lish. Bienville then advanced afid went aboard. The cap- 
tain, named Banks, turned out to be one of Iberville's old 
Hudson Bay prisoners, and therefore an acquaintance of 
Bienville's. The ship belonged to the expedition of which 
Iberville had heard, and for which he had been so anxiously 
on the look-out. It was one of three vessels loaded with 
emigrants which had sailed from England to make an estab- 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 49 

lishment on the banks of the Mississippi about the very 
time that Iberville, with his squadron, sailed from France. 
They had passed the winter in Carolina, where the greatest 
number of colonists, pleased with the climate, had chosen to 
remain. One ship had returned to England, leaving the 
other two to pursue the search for the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi. The captain said they had cruised fruitlessly for 
thirty leagues round about, when he found this stream and 
entered it. As it was the only one large stream he had dis- 
covered in his cruise on that shore, he doubted not it was the 
Mississippi. Bienville convinced him that the river and 
country were in the possession of the King of France, who 
had force sufficient at hand to protect his rights. He had the 
satisfaction of seeing the captain raise anchor and head the 
corvette down stream. " The English Turn " in the Missis- 
ippi still commemorates the bend in the river where the 
young lieutenant and his five Canadians obtained this triumph 
over the Englishman. 

Return of Iberville. — Iberville returned shortly after the 
new year, 1701. He brought with him supplies of money, 
provisions and reinforcements of men, among them sixty 
tried Canadians, who had been with him in Hudson Bay, 
His seventeen-year-old brother, Chateaugnay, accompanied 
^im, and his relations the Sieur de Boisbrant, and the noted 
pioneer, Jarchereau de St. Denis ; a noted geologist, the 
Sieur Le Sueur, came over also with men and means to exploit 
certain copper mines that were said to be in the upper Mis- 
sissippi country. 

/Iberville stayed only long enough at Biloxi to get an expe- 
dition ready to build a fort on the Mississippi, which the visit 
oi the English captain warned him as necessary. During the 
search for a proper situation, Iberville, coming to the de- 
serted village of the Quinnipissas, made a planting of sugar 
:ane there from seed he had brought from St. Domingo. 
But the seed, already yellow and sour, came to naught.^ . 



50 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Fort Maurepas. 1700. — The location selected for the 
fort was on the left bank of the river, about fifty-four miles 
above its mouth. A strong log building twenty-eight 
feet square was put upon it ; and a powder magazine, 
five feet above the ground, well banked with earth. During 
the building a pirogue of Canadians came down the river 
and stopped at the landing. Iberville greeted the leader, 
Tonty, " the Iron Hand," with warm welcome. The loyal 
man had heard of the French settlement and had traveled 
down the river to offer his services. Iberville gladly accepted 
them, for an exploration he wished to make into the Red 
river country, to find out the number of tribes of Indians 
living there, and the exact limit of the Spanish possessions. 
They set out at once. Stopping at the Houmas" on their way 
up the river, Iberville gave them some apple, orange and 
cotton seed to plant. Louisiana thus owes to him the first 
plantings of her two great staples. 

The Natchez. 1700. — At the Natchez landing Iberville 
despatched a messenger to announce his presence to the 
Natchez chief. The chief responded by sending his brother, 
escorted by twenty-five men, with the calumet of peace and 
an invitation to the village. Climbing to the summit of the 
steep bluff, covered with magnificent forest trees, Iberville 
gazed with joy upon the beautiful rural landscape. " It was 
a country," he says, " of plains and prairies, filled with little 
hills and groves of trees, with roads intercrossing from village 
to village, and from cabin to cabin — a country resembling 
France not a little." Half way to the village the chief ap- 
peared, ceremoniously advancing, surrounded by his body 
guard — twenty large, well made men. 

The village differed from the other villages visited only 
in being handsomer and better built. The cabin of the chief 
stood on a spacious mound ten feet high. Facing it was the 
temple ; around stood the cabins, enclosing a handsome open 
space. A small running stream near by furnished the water. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 51 

The Natchez were the most enlightened and civilized of 
the Mississippi river Indians. They v^orshipped the sun, and 
their chief was called after their deity the Great Sun ; his 
brothers the Little Suns. The government was an absolute 
despotism. The Great Sun was master of the labor, prop- 
erty and lives of his subjects. He never worked. When he 
wanted provisions he sent out biddings to a great feast, and 
the invited were required to attend, bringing sufficient sup- 
plies for the entertainment and for the after support of the 
royal family. None were allowed to approach him without 
observing an elaborate deferential ceremony. He selected 
his servants from the most noted families, and when he died 
these servants were strangled to death, to accompany him to 
the next world. When an heir was born, each family that 
had a new-born infant appeared with it in the royal presence 
and a certain number were selected to be his attendants. If 
the heir died, all thus chosen, were strangled. The chief- 
tainship was hereditary, but it was not the son of the 
Great Sun, but the son of his nearest sister or nearest female 
relative, who succeeded to the government. The royal 
princesses were not allowed to marry in the royal family, 
but were forced to take their husbands from the common 
tribe. No women except the mother and sisters of the Great 
Sun, were ever allowed to enter the temple. 

The Tensas. 1700. — The Indian guides all advised Iber- 
ville and Tonty not to attempt to go up Red river, which was 
much rafted and difficult of navigation. They persisted that 
the easiest and best way of getting into the Red river lands 
was by going up above Red river and striking across the 
country from the great Tensas village. The advice seemed 
reasonable, and it was followed. Iberville, with his party, 
paddled up to the Tensas landing and made their way on 
foot through the woods to Lake Tensas, where they found 
pirogues for the rest of the journey They were well re- 
ceived by the Tensas, but during the night were witnesses of 



52 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

such a scene of barbarity as turned their hearts from the 
tribe. A terrific storm broke out. Lightning struck the tem- 
ple, setting it on fire. In a few moments it was entirely 
consumed. The Indian priest, or " medicine man," as he 
was called, attributed the disaster to the wrath of their god, 
because after the recent death of the great chief the tribe 
had not made the human sacrifices demanded of their faith. 

Standing by the furious flames, with the storm raging 
about him, he called out repeatedly in a loud, commanding 
voice: " Women, bring your children and offer them in sac- 
rifice to the Great Spirit to appease him!" Five squaws 
responded, and five papooses, strapped in their swaddling 
clothes, were thrown into the heart of the burning pile. 
Proud of his victory over them, the priest led the unnatural 
mothers in triumph to the cabin of the new chief, where all 
the village assembled to praise, caress, and do them honor. 
A painful trouble in his right knee prevented Iberville, at 
the last moment, from leading the exploration into the Red 
river country. He turned the command over to Bienville 
and journeyed back to Fort Maurepas. On his arrival he 
fell very ill of fever, which kept him for some time from 
proceeding to Ship Island, where quite a notable event was 
happening to enliven the monotony of the officers' lives. 

Visit from the Spaniards. 1700. — De la Riola, governor 
of Pensacola, came in all the panoply of his power with three 
armed vessels and several hundred men to protest against 
the French settling in a country which he claimed belonged 
to the King of Spain. The French, no ways intimidated by 
the Spaniard's pomp and arrogance, determined to make as 
brave a show as he. During the four days of his visit all 
traces of sickness and privation were carefully hidden ; men 
and officers wore their gala uniforms; wine flowed and 
banquets were served with reckless prodigality and the 
fort and garrison kept up one continual round of gaiety 
and frolic. De la Riola sailed away as majestically as he 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 53 

came, but was very much impressed with the abundance and 
stability of the new French establishment. He was soon to 
be still more impressed with it. 

Seven days afterwards the officers at Ship Island saw an 
open boat approaching from the sea, with figures of men in 
distress in it. They proved to be the stately Spanish com- 
mander and his officers, naked and famishing. A gale in 
the night had struck their squadron shortly after leaving 
Biloxi, and every vessel had been wrecked on Chandeleurs 
Islands ; they had not had time even to clothe themselves, 
and for five days had only had a small bit of chocolate to eat 
and nothing but sea water to drink. 

Again the French proved themselves equal to the occasion. 
Messengers were despatched with the news to Pensacola ; 
boats were sent to rescue the miserable crews perishing on 
the exposed sand bars; food, drink and clothing were pre- 
pared. De la Riola was equipped from tip to toe out of 
Iberville's wardrobe ; the officers were supplied by the other 
French officers, and French boats conveyed them all to 
Pensacola. 

QUESTIONS. 

Where did Iberville intend to make his settlement? What of Sau- 
vole after Iberville's departure? What of Bienville? What Indians 
lived on Bayou Plaquemine? Give the meeting w^ith the English ves- 
sel? What commemorates the circumstance? When did Iberville re- 
turn? Who accompanied him? What was his next expedition? 
What of Fort Maurepas? Planting of cane? What expedition did 
Iberville and Tonty undertake? What seed did Iberville give the 
Houmas? Describe Natchez village and the Natchez? Give an ac- 
count of Spanish commander's visit? 



54 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

CHAPTER IX. 

FURTHER ESTABLISHMENT. 

Bienville left the Tensas village with his party ; twenty- 
two Canadians, with six Tensas and one Ouachita for 
guides. It was early March, the severe winter still lingered, 
and the country was beginning to overflow from rising water. 
Not only was every little bayou swollen into a rushing stream, 
but great tracts of land lay under the water from knee to 
breast deep ; in many places over the head. As they had no 
pirogues they crossed on foot-logs when they could find them 
(they were generally hidden under water), and sometimes they 
would fell a tree for a bridge. But most of the times they 
swam or waded across, pushing their clothes before them on 
rafts ; always firing off their guns first, to scare away the 
alligators. As Bienville was only of medium height, he was 
at a great disadvantage, and many times had to swim, when 
his companions only waded. The water was icy cold and 
the Indians soon turned back, saying 'they did not like walk- 
ing naked all day in cold water. At night the camp was 
pitched on any dry spot to be found. Sometimes the trav- 
elers would come to a good hunting place and a day would 
be given up to supplying their bags with game ; but days 
would often pass when all the meals consisted only of sagam- 
ity. They would make from ten to twelve miles a day, cross- 
ing from six to a dozen bayous and swamps. Hardy as 
the Canadians were, many of them fell ill from the hard- 
ships and exposure. Often in the water they would be seized 
with chills and cramps, and were forced to climb trees and 
stay in the branches until they recovered. Once four men 
thus passed a whole day in the trees until rafts were sent to 
fetch them away. To add to their discomfort rain set in, 
and every day drenching showers would again and again wet 
them to the skin. But Bienville says they never stopped sing- 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 55 

ing and laughing, to show the Indians they met that French- 
Qien, unlike Spaniards, did not mind such fatigue. They 
met only a few Indians journeying to get out of the high 
water, or carrying salt from the salt springs in the Ouachita 
country to sell to the Indians along the Mississippi. 

They came to Red river, but found most of the villages 
inundated and abandoned. What Indians remained were liv- 
ing on rafts and scaffoldings, and their supplies of corn were 
oo meagre for the French to buy any. 

Bienville visited some villages of the Natchitoches, Sou- 
chitionis, Nakasas, and Yataches, living above the water, and 
there he met some Caddodaquious Indians, They gave him 
30 discouraging an account of the road and distance to their 
village that Bienville decided not to push his sick, disabled 
and half-starved men any further to get there. Procuring 
oirogues, he brought them down Red river to the Missis- 
sippi.* On his arrival at the settlement, Iberville put him 
n command of Fort Maurepas and sailed to France. 

Fort Maurepas. 1700. — Bienville took up his position at 
Fort Maurepas, which soon, with its fields of corn and vege- 
:ables, formed a bright picture on the banks of the great, 
savage river. Canadian coureurs de bois learned the way 
lown there from the north and west ; and every now and 
hen bands of them would paddle up to the landing, their 
oirogues almost sinking under the heavy loads of peltry, 
hied meat and bears' grease ; the sombre forests resounding 
With the echoes of their loud frolicking. More quietly 
and humbly, missionaries, who had already begun to estab- 
lish themselves along the Mississippi, would come, with a few 
attendants only and Indian guides, to the new settlement of 
:heir faith and country to greet their compatriots and get 
:idings from France. 



* Jachereau de St. Denis the following- yeai explored the same country as far as 
he Caddodaquious ; and a few years afterward founded a post at Natchitoches. St 
Denis' attempts to open an overland trade from the French colony to Mexico led 
:o a series of romantic and thrilliniir adventures of which he was a most interesting 
iiero. St. Denis may be called the father of the Natchitoches country. 



56 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Biloxi. 1700. — At Biloxi Sauvole struggled through try-, 
ing experiences. The Canadian settlers proved themselves 
unruly under discipline ; they liked no work but hunting and 
fighting, and w^ere much given to drinking, saving up their 
daily allowance of spirits until they accumulated enough to 
get intoxicated. Then the Indian visitors came in such num- 
bers that he was hard pressed to give them the food and 
presents they expected, and without which they might turn 
into enemies ; in addition to this, great pirogues of Canadians 
would come to Biloxi from Fort Maurepas, and they would 
quarter themselves on the garrison until asked to leave. The 
ship of supplies promised from France did not arrive. Sau- 
vole had to send to St. Domingo and buy the necessaries of 
life. There was a drought which killed all vegetation and 
dried up all the springs. This was followed by a season of 
great rain. Fever broke out and soon became epidemic. 
Soldiers and Canadians died in numbers. 

Death of Sauvole. August, 1701. — The gallant young 
commander himself was stricken with it and died in August, 
1701, leaving his uncompleted journal for a record of his 
faithfulness and conscientiousness in duty. At the news of 
his death, Bienville hastened over from Fort Maurepas to 
Biloxi and took command. 

Arrival of Iberville. 1701. — In December, couriers from 
Pensacola brought news of Iberville's arrival at that port, 
accompanied by De Serigny, his brother, a mariner of great 
repute in the royal navy. He was unable to move from Pen- 
sacola, being confined to his bed with an abscess in his side, 
which caused him great suffering, and for which he had been 
operated on ship-board. The fever which he had caught on 
the Mississippi had continued in France, almost causing his 
death there, and preventing his return sooner to the colony 
with the supplies he had promised. 

Impressed with the necessity of a port directly on the gulf 
coast as a protection to his position on the Mississippi, and 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 57 

Still unreconciled to the possession of Pensacola by the Span- 
iards, Iberville had, during his long stay in France, endeav- 
ored to procure its cession from Spain, He wrote an able 
paper to the court of Spain on the subject, assuming as war- 
rant for his presumption the new and near relations between 
the thrones of France and Spain (the grandson of the king of 
France being heir to the throne of the king of Spain). The 
paper was submitted to the Spanish Junto, or council of 
state, who, far from approving his designs, warned him, as 
an interloper, off the coast which they claimed still as Span- 
ish. 

Iberville's answer to this was the determination to settle 
Mobile. That would give France a close and definite boun- 
dary line on the east against the Spaniards, assure her of the 
possession of the Mobile river, the next important stream of 
the country after the Mississippi, and secure to her the con- 
tinuous stretch of Gulf Coast all the way to La Salle's western 
limit, Matagorda Bay. Without loss of time, he sent orders 
to Bienville to transport the colony from Biloxi to Mobile. 

Mobile, 1702. — The new fort, named Fort St. Louis de la 
Mobile, was to be situated on the right bank of the Mobile 
river, about fifty miles above its mouth. The work of 
removal from Biloxi was pushed forward vigorously. De 
Serigny brought over from Pensacola his ship laden with 
the supplies for the colony, and all the small boats and men 
to be spared from Iberville's ship. Tents were erected on 
Massacre Island for the storage of freight until flat-boats 
could be built to convey it across the bay and up the river. 
As soon as Iberville was well enough to come to Mobile and 
superintend the work, Bienville was sent out to establish re- 
lations with the tribes of the country round about. On the 
island at the mouth of the Mobile he found only deserted 
habitations, and on one of them the carefully hidden gods of 
one of the vanished tribes. They were rude figures of men 
and animals, which the Indian guides would only approach by 



58 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

walking backwards, and which they warned Bienville not to 
touch on pain of death. 

Bienville, to the Indians' astonishment, carried them with- 
out suffering any disaster to Iberville, who examined them 
and pronounced them relics of some of the old Spanish ex- 
plorers. 

Eighteen miles above the fort were the Mobile Indians, the 
descendants of the fierce warriors who had given De Soto so 
warm a reception. Six miles above the Mobiles lived the 
Tohomes, a small but industrious tribe, whose corn crops 
often stood between the French garrison and hunger. On 
the Alabama river were the Alabamas, a fighting, refrac- 
tory tribe, whose warriors were ever on the war path against 
their neighbors, white and red. On the Apalachicola river 
were the Apalaches, or Conchaques; a peaceful tribe sub- 
dued to the Spaniards, but suffering such ravages from the 
inroads of the Indians incited by the English of Carolina 
that they soon moved into the neighborhood of the French 
for protection. To the northwest, between the Tombigbee 
and the Mississippi, was the territory of the Choctaws, the 
largest and most powerful tribe of the region. Cunning, 
brave and well skilled in their savage warfare, they 
formed the great safeguard of the French against the vin- 
dictive and unconquerable Chickasaws. The lands of this 
celebrated tribe lay to the north of the Choctaw, between 
the French and English possessions, and the French found 
them in course of time more redoubtable foes than the Eng- 
lish themselves. 

It was with great satisfaction that during the building of 
the fort Iberville received forerunners from Tonty, announc- 
ing his speedy arrival, with chiefs from both these important 
tribes. A grand reception was at once prepared, and pres- 
ents selected. These were exposed in full view; two hun- 
dred pounds of powder, the same quantity of balls and bird 
shot, twelve guns, a hundred hatchets, fifty knives, a number 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 59 

of cauldrons, and quantities of small articles, such as beads, 
flints, awls, etc. With so tempting an array spread before 
them, the chiefs smoked all the calumets and made all the 
treaties desired by Iberville, and departed from the fort well 
promised to France and laden with booty. 

Mobile. 1702. — Iberville sailed away from his anchorage 
at Massacre Island on the last day of March, 1702; neither 
his brother nor his colony ever saw him again.* 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe Bienville's expedition. What of the Indians he met? Did 
he go to the Caddodaquious? What of life at Fort Maurepas? When 
did Sauvole die? What followed? What news came from Pensacola? 
Who accompanied Iberville? Describe the removal from Biloxi. 
What was the new fort named and where situated ?~ Give an account 
of the Indians of the Alabama country. 



CHAPTER X. 
MOBILE. 1702=171 



Mobile. 1702-1711. — Bienville was left in command. 
The charge committed to him by Iberville was no light one. 
He was not only to maintain himself in his present position, 
but with his handful of men to hold Iberville's great grasp of 
country, with the mouth of the Mississippi, firm to the crown 
of France. The Spaniards to the east and the English to 
the north were to be kept in check, and all the warring, rest- 
less savage tribes under him to be fastened together in tract- 
able submission to his authority and armed into an efficient 
force to oppose against the colonies of France's rivals. 



♦The g-allant Canadian died of yellow fever at Havana, in 1706, four years later. 
His last effort at arms, like his first, was against the English. He was preparing, 
with a large armament, to attack the British islands in the Antilles and their settle- 
ments on the Carolina coast. Landing at Havana for reinforcements of Spaniards 
and filibusters, he was attacked by the prevailing epidemic, and died. Iberville 
had advanced large sums to the government for Louisiana, so left little to his widow 
and children. His widow afterward married a French nobleman, the count de 
Belhune. 



60 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



Let US give a glance at the life and character of the twenty- 
two-year-old governor. 

Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville was the 
ninth son of his father and the sixth brother of Iberville. Left 

an orphan when a child, he 
lived with his eldest brother, 
the Baron de Longueuil, in 
the chateau de Longueuil, 
near Montreal. At fourteen 
he followed Iberville to sea, 
and before he was eighteen 
had taken part in all the 
thrilling dangers of the 
struggles in Hudson Bay. 
Quiet, gentle and reserved, 
he yet possessed an indom- 
itable will and inflexible 
courage ; well proven in the 
course of this history. Even 
at an early age he knew how 
to gain a powerful influence 
over his friends and men under his command. The Canad- 
ians were ever devoted to him, and formed an unfalteiing 
clan behind him, ready for any service of offence or defence. 
The Indians respected and revered him and called him father. 
He knew the Indians, indeed, as few white men ever knew 
them, and in his dealings with them acted with a judgment 
which they never questioned. He boasted that he never broke 
his word to them, always conformed to their manners and 
customs, and talked to each tribe in its own dialect. In Can- 
ada, he spoke with ease the language of the natives, and on 
his arrival in Louisiana he acquired the dialect of every tribe 
with which he came in contact, a capital of infinite advantage 
to him in his after career. 




BIENVILLE, 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 61 

' Fort St. Louis de la Mobile. 1702.— With all its de- 
pendences, the fort was soon completed. Standing eminent 
on the bank of the river it was an imposing edifice for the 
times in that wild country. It measured three hundred and 
sixty feet square, and held at each corner a battery of six 
guns. Inside were a chapel, the guard house, officers' lodg- 
ings and a parade ground. The barracks for the soldiers 
and Canadians were outside, some fifty paces to the left, on 
the bank of the river. Later, also, on the left of the fort, a 
residence for the priest was erected. 

The Indians from all the neighboring country flocked to 
sate their wonder at the marvelous structure, always leaving 
well impressed with French power and wealth, and feed with 
their presents. The Spaniards from Pensacola came also as 
often as the Indians ; and Bienville claimed that these neigh- 
bors were even more costly to him than the Indians. The 
garrison at Pensacola seemed always in a state of famine, 
their supply ships from Vera Cruz being ever delayed or lost 
at sea, and hardly a week passed that a boat was not sent to 
Mobile to borrow provisions. As Bienville complained they 
would many a time have been forced by starvation to aban- 
don their settlement, if he had not kept them up from his 
scant stores, not daring to refuse on account of the new alli- 
ance and kinship between the French and Spanish monarchs. 

War with England. — The war* declared by England 
against France and Spain, on account of this very kinship, 
made itself felt before he was firmly established in his fort. 
Indian war parties, equipped by the English, in Carolina, 
over and over again ravaged the corn fields and burned the 
villages of the Indians of Florida, and attacked the Indians 
in the French territory, while an English fleet, hovering in 
the gulf, kept the seaboard from St. Augustine to Mobile in 
a constant state of alarm. 

* War of the Spanish Succession, 1700, over the succession of the g^randson of 
Louis XIV to the throne of Spain. England, Germany, Holland, Portugal and 
Prussia opposed this aggrandizement of the royal house of France. 



62 HISTORY OP^ LOUISIANA. 

Bienville flew to the rescue of his Indian allies, distribut- 
ing arms and ammunition to their warriors, and equipping 
them into equality with the English Indians. The flying 
bands of Apalaches were received and settled along Mobile 
river.* The Spaniards at Pensacola, instead of assisting him 
in these crises, only increased his burdens. As ill provided 
with munitions of war as with provisions, they knew no bet- 
ter means of defence, when threatened, than to shut them- 
selves in their strongholds and send appeals to Bienville, and 
he was forced to respond with men, arms and boats. 

Indian Troubles. — And along the Mississippi, wherever 
English traders could insinuate themselves in the Indian 
tribes, the savages would break into revolt, and the toma- 
hawk would be raised to spread destruction and carnage up 
and down the river. The humble, pious missionaries and 
their attendants were always the first victims. And almost 
as often Spanish barks, long pointed pirogues, from the 
river countries would come flying across the gulf bearing 
news of assassination and murder, and fetching a load of 
wounded praying for protection and medical help. 

So, one day came good father Davion,| fleeing from the 
Tunicas, telling the story of the murder of the aged priest 
Foucault and his attendants, by their Coroasj guides, as they 
were peacefully descending the river to visit Mobile ; and so, 
later. Father Gravier§ arrived, his arm pierced with five 
arrow-heads, shot by the Indians of his mission on the Illinois. 

♦Here, under the spiritual charge of M. Huve, they built themselves a church, 
and became so edifying a religious example that the colonists used to jaunt out on 
Sundays and feast-days to see them perform their devotions and hear them sing the 
Latin hymns. 

t Father Davion had originally settled at Natchez, but making no converts, he 
went to the Tunicas, and erected a cross on the highest bluff, where he said mass 
every morning. The bluff was called Roche a Davion until 1764, when it became 
known as Loius Heights, and afterwards and ever since as Fort Adams. — Clai- 
home's Afissis.^ippt. 

X Nicholas Foucault had a mission among the Arkansas, where he had accom 
phshed much good, when, in 1702, he set out for Mobile with three attendants and 
two Coroas guides. The guides killed them for the plunder of their luggage. 

§ Father Gravier, a Jesuit, had succeeded to the mission at Kaskaskia, among 
the Illinois, continued by Allouez after the death of Marquette. He was appointed 
Vicar General by the Bishop of Quebec. An accomplished as well as a devoted 
priest, he has left valuable descriptions of the Indians and early settlements by the 
French. He was always an earnest friend of Bienville. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 63 

War with the Alabamas. 1702. — Bienville intrusted the 
punishment of the Coroas to the Arkansas, who gladly un- 
dertook it, while he prepared to inflict upon the Alabamas 
what they merited for an act of treachery which had incensed 
the whole colony. 

Some of their chiefs came to the fort with such plausible 
stories of the plenteousness of corn in their village that Bien- 
ville sent five men home with them to purchase. After some 
weeks, one of them came back alone to tell of the treachery 
of the savages. The party had traveled to within two days' 
of the Alabama village. Here the chiefs begged the white 
men to remain while they went in advance to notify their 
people, so that a reception could be prepared. That night, 
while the white men slept, the Indians returned and toma- 
hawked lour of them. One escaped by leaping into the river 
and swimming lor his life. A hatchet thrown after him in- 
flicted an ugly wound on his arm ; this he dressed with pine 
gum, gathered from the trees, chewed, and applied as he 
fled through the forest. 

Bienville, raising a levy amongst his Indian allies, mus- 
tered, with his Canadians, a force of nearly two hundred men, 
of which Tonty and St. Denis shared with him the command. 

The plan was to ascend the Mobile river and the Alabama 
to some convenient point, to land, and marching rapidly across 
the country, fall a surprise upon the foe. The Mobilians 
were to act as guides and baggage carriers. But it was soon 
seen that they were in secret sympathy with the Alabamas 
They conducted the little army so cunningly that at the end 
of eighteen days it was spent with marching and very little 
if any nearer the enemy than when it set out. Then, upon 
some trivial pretext, all the Mobilians, Choctaws and To- 
homes deserted in a body. 

The French commanders were forced, without striking a 
blow, to return also to the fort, which they reached (by 
marching in a straight line) in four days. But in a few days 



64 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

they quietly led forth another expedition, composed of white 
men only. They made the entire journey by water. As 
they neared the spot where their companions had been assas- 
sinated, scouts were sent to spy out the camp. It was found 
a short distance above on a bluff upon the bank of the river. 
Bienville was for attacking it at once ; but his companions 
prevailed in favor of a surprise at night. They waited in 
their hiding places through the rest of the day until dark- 
ness fell and the camp fires dimmed to a dull smouldering 
glow, when the savages, as they judged, would be in a heavy 
sleep. Then the command was given and the stealthy ad- 
vance begun. With all their precautions a dry twig crackled 
under some foot. The war cry rose in the air. The old men, 
women and children broke from the camp and ran into the 
forest. The warriors retreated slowly after them, firing their 
guns at the invaders. All escaped with the exception of four ; 
two killed and two wounded. The French also had two men 
killed, and had, for the rest of their vengeance, to content 
themselves with destroying the Alabamas' camp, breaking 
up their pirogues and throwing their hunting booty into the 
river. 

On his return to Mobile, Bienville put the scalps of the 
Alabamas in the market, offering a gun and five pounds of 
powder and ball apiece for them. 

The war sputtered along like a slow fire for nine years. 
The Mobilians a few years afterwards were detached from 
the Alabamas by Bienville's generosity in restoring to them 
some captive Alabama women and children taken prisoners, 
whom the Mobilians claimed as kinspeople. Their gratitude 
to Bienville for the restoration maintained them in unswerv- 
ing loyalty to the French ever afterwards. 

The 1st of February, 1705, tidings came to Mobile that 
the Chickasaws had seized and sold as slaves to the English 
several Choctaw families who had come to visit them in good 
faith, and that the act of treachery had caused a rupture be- 






FRENCH DOMINATION 65 

tween the two nations. As there were in Fort St. Louis at 
that time more than seventy Chickasaws of both sexes, they 
were very much troubled about returning to their villages, 
which they could not do without passing through the territory 
of the irate Choctaws. At their solicitation, Bienville sent 
twenty-five Canadians under De Boisbriant to escort them. 
They arrived on their route at the Choctaw village about the 
end of the month. The Choctaw chief assured De Boisbriant 
that they would not oppose the return of the Chickasaws, but 
that it was only just to reproach them with their perfidy in 
the presence of the French. Therefore, the Chickasaws were 
invited to assemble in the open space in the centre of the 
village, and the Choctaw chief, with his calumet in his hand, 
began his harangue to them. He reproached them with their 
injustices and want of good faith ; told them if the French 
took any interest in them, it was because of ignorance of 
their real character. The Chickasaws listened with more 
uneasiness than contrition. Around, a circle of Choctaws 
had gradually closed them in. When the orator had reached 
his-'point that they were too vile to live, and therefore it was 
proper they should die, reversing the calumet in his hand, 
there was no hope of escape from the sentence, which was 
executed at the instant. Only the women and children were 
spared. Several Choctaws were killed in the 77ielee^ and De 
Boisbriant accidentally received a ball in trying to get out of 
the way. He was placed upon a litter and carried to the fort 
by a numerous escort of Choctaws. 

It was a blow which staggered the Chickasaws. They 
sent deputation after deputation to Bienville, praying his 
^ood offices in favor of peace After a year's hostilities and 
losses had somewhat mitigated the resentment of the Choc- 
taws, Bienville was able to bring them to terms and persuade 
them to smoke the pipe of peace with their adversaries. The re- 
:onciliation proved a mere truce, however, andBienville's hope 
pf uniting the two powerful tribes for the French an illusion. 



66 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

In the summer of 1703-1704 ships came from France, 
fetching everything that a growing colony could need ; emi- 
grants, money, soldiers, missionaries, provisions, a commis- 
sary, clothing, live stock, and most important of all, under 
charge of two Gray Sisters, twenty-three young girls, to be 
married to worthy young men. 

The emigrants received their allotments of lands along the 
river; the cattle were set at large, the goods and provisions 
stored in the magazines, and the outstanding accounts of sol- 
diers, and their employes, paid. 

All seemed to bid fair for the happiness and prosperity of 
Mobile. But the last ship, touching at Havana for live 
stock, brought yellow fever into the colony. The plague 
raged pitilessly ; priests, sailors, soldiers, and the new emi- 
grants sickened and died of it. The place was almost de- 
populated ; and, most grievous and serious of all to Bien- 
ville and to the colony, was the loss of the brave, loyal, efficient 
Henri de Tonty. 

Dissensions. 1706. — Almost as fatal as the epidemic 
were the discords that broke out among the officers of the 
colony. The priest De la Vente,* and the royal commissary, 
De la Salle, t were barely installed in their positions, when 
they began to chafe and fret under the authority of the young 
commander. Their criticism of and opposition to him pro- 
duced a most bitter and active animosity, which inflamed the 
whole garrison into partisanship. Accusations and recrim- 
inations passed from side to side. Letters were written to 
France by De la Salle and De la Vente, charging Bien- 
ville with illicit trade with the Spaniards and unlawful use of 
the royal stores and provisions. Bienville retaliated with 

♦Louisiana belonged to the diocese of Quebec. On the 20th of July, 1703, Saint 
Vallier, Bishop of Quebec, formally erected Mobile into a parish, uniting it to the 
Seminary of Foreign Missions in Paris and Quebec, who agreed to supply it with 
clergy. Rev. Henry Roulleaux de la Vente was appointed parish priest, Rev. 
Alexandre Huvo, curate. — Colotital Church iii America, Shea. 

tDe La Salle, son of a naval officer at Toulon, was not related to the great 
explorer. ,, 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 67 

general charges of incompetence, untruthfulness and mischief- 
making. 

As the years passed without a vessel coming from France, 
Chateaugnay, "the sea courier," of Mobile, and his trans- 
port were kept busy plying between Mobile, Cuba, St. Do- 
mingo and Vera Cruz, bringing provisions and carrying the 
mail for both the French and Spanish establishments. Pensa- 
cola caught fire and burned to the ground, and the vice ad- 
miral's ship sank to the bottom at her moorings, which re- 
duced the Spaniards to greater misery and dependence on 
Bienville than ever before, and once more threatened by the 
English Indians, Bienville himself had to lead a company to 
their relief. 

Government's Dissatisfaction with Bienville. 1708. — 
The repeated letters from the priest and commissary reiter- 
ating their charges against Bienville made at last an im- 
pression on the government. Jerome de Maurepas was now 
Compte de Pontchartrain and Minister of marine, having 
succeeded to his father's position and title. The confidence 
which he felt in Iberville extended to Bienville only so long 
as Iberville lived. After the death of his brother, the young 
governor found out that he was to be judged without favor, 
and that from Pontchartrain all that he could expect was 
strict justice. 

Bienville Dismissed. 1708. — After three years of wait- 
ing, a ship with the sorely needed supplies arrived from 
France. By it Bienville also received a letter dismissing 
him from office, informing him of the charges against him. 
A new governor, M. de Muys, was sent out, and a new com- 
missary general, M. Diron D'Artaguette. De Muys died at 
Havana, on his way to the colony. 

De Muys was not only to supersede Bienville ; he was, 
with D'Artaguette, also to institute a strict inquiry into his 
conduct, and if the charges against him were found true they 
were to arrest him and send him prisoner to France, on a 



68 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

lettre de cachet.* The captain of the ship was given am 
order to take charge of Bienville, conduct him to France^' 
and deliver him up to the commander of the first port ati 
which he landed. 

Bienville demanded that some one be put immediately in: 
his place, that he might return to France and answer the( 
charges against him. D'Artaguette, however, concealing^ 
the harsh orders given him and DeMuys insisted that he should! 
remain at his post until the king appointed another governor. 
He made an examination into Bienville's administration, and: 
wrote a report to the Minister of Marine, not only exonerat- 
ing him from charges against him, but praising him highly 
for the ability with which he had met and overcome his diffi- 
culties. Far from Bienville and his brothers making money, 
out of the colony, they were all poor, not having for several! 
years received a cent of their salary. 

Three years again passed after the last vessel and no re- 
lief came from France. The colony made brave efforts 
to be independent of the mother country. A brisk little 
trade in peltry, bears' grease and other forest produce sprang 
up between it and Florida and the West Indies and Central 
America. Massacre Island throve and prospered with the 
sure persistency of a port town. Inhabitants drifted to it 
from the fort, from the country, and dropped upon it from 
vessels. Houses were built, stores opened, trees set out and 
gardens planted, until, as Bienville said, it was a pleasure 
to see it. And the property accumulated was considered so 
valuable that the loss inflicted by a raid from an enterprising 
British privateer was estimated at X5o,ooo. 

Up the river, affairs were not so flourishing ; provisions 
and clothing became exhausted, and what was worse the 
supply of gunpowder threatened to give out — a timely loan 
from St. Domingo alone preventing this calamity. With the 

* Lettre de cachet," a warrant for the arrest of a person under the old regime 
(government) of France. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 69 

able-bodied men always under arms, and with no oxen to 
assist in tilling the ground, dependence had to be placed on 
the Indians for bread food. Successive overflows destroyed 
the corn crops of these, and the garrison was often reduced 
to acorns for nourishment. In 1711 the fort itself stood under 
water, and spies brought word that the English Indians were 
purposing to profit by the high water and make an attack by 
the way of the river on the French settlement. They had 
already made an attack on the Tohomes and Mobile villages, 
but had been driven back. 

Removal of the Fort. — In this extremity a council of 
officers decided, for better protection, to concentrate forces 
and means and bring the two posts closer together by re- 
moving the fort colony nearer to Massacre Island. A new 
fort was built nearer the mouth of the river and the garrison 
removed to it, the colonists following and settling around ; but 
very much discouraged at the loss and trouble of the change. 

During the summer months, in order to spare his store of 
provisions, Bienville allowed his unmarried men of good 
character to live among the neighboring Indian tribes. It 
was a privilege they eagerly sought, and one which made 
rare returns of frolic and pleasure, particularly when the 
visit was to the gentle Natchez or to the Colapissas living 
on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The days were filled 
with long fishing and hunting excursions with all their whole- 
some and exciting adventures, the nights with jollity and fun 
with the young folks around the camp fires, under the green 
leaves. Once a violinist was taken along, and the pretty In- 
dian girls were taught to dance the stately gavotte and cotil- 
lon, and to sing the sprightly French songs, the woods peal- 
ing with merriment. It was not always easy for the Frenchmen 
to return at Bienville's summons, and the Indians were as 
sorry as they over the parting.* The good fellowship which 

* A young ship carpenter, named Pennicaut, one of Bienville's followers who ob- 
tained this privilege summer after summer, has written a most charming description 
of his adventures among the Indians. " 



70 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

resulted from this friendly commingling of his men with the 
natives, and his stern punishment of any offence of his men 
against hospitality, was one of the reasons of Bienville's good 
reputation among the Indians and of his safety among them. 
For almost at any time, had they wished it, they could have 
combined and swept him and his colony out ot existence. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of Bienville's charge. Bienville's life and character.! 
Fort St. Louis de la Mobile. Spaniards at Pensacola. Indian troubles.! 
Epidemic. Dissensions. Charges against Bienville. WhjwasBien-j 
ville dismissed.? By whom succeeded.'' What instructions were given i 
De Muys and d'Artaguette.'' What of the investigation into Bien- i 
ville's conduct.? 



CHAPTER XI. 

LOUISIANA CHARTERED. 

Crozat's Charter. 1712. — The reason why Pontchartrain 
did not send relief to the colony was that the financial condi- 
tion of France was extremely depressed. The many wars and 
extravagant expenditures of the court during the long reign 
of Louis XIV* had brought the country almost to bank- 
ruptcy. All the executive branches of the government suf- 
fered for want of money. Public expenses were lowered in 
every way, and France's great glory and pride, her colonial 
establishments, were cut down with a mere pittance. As for 
Louisiana and the mouth of the Mississippi, Pontchartrain 
saw that he must abandon them, unless he could find some 
one who would assist him in the responsibility of providing 
for their needs. 

After two years' negotiation the Sieur Antoine de Crozat, 
a capitalist and favorite of the court, was induced to become 

* Louis XIV, calledthe "Grand Monarque," gave his name to the 17th century in 
France. He reigned seventy-two years ; died in 1715, and was succeeded by his 
great-gradson, Louis XV. The Duke of Orleans, nephew of Louis XIV, was re- 
ffcnt during the minority of Louis XV. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 71 

the chartered owner of the colony for fifteen years, for what 
profit he could draw out of the monopoly of its trade. 

Lamothe Cadillac. 1710. — Lamothe Cadillac was named 
governor. One of the most prominent French pioneers in 
America for twenty years ; indefatigable, shrewd and clever, 
he would have been an excellent governor but for his obstinate 
adherence to his own opinions and opposition to the opinions 
of others. 

Bienville again petitioned to be allowed to return to 
France, or to his old position in the navy. But his wisdom 
m managing the Indians made his presence a necessity in 
the colony. Pontchartrain ordered him to remain, and as- 
signed him to the command of the Mississippi, with head- 
quarters at Natchez, where a fort was to be built (called 
Rosalie, after the Countess of Pontchartrain). 

Bienville, who, with his brothers, Canadian friends and 
kinsmen, had been supreme for so long a time in the colony, 
did not welcome the new governor put over them in a kindly 
spirit. Cadillac, on his side, was resentful, arbitrary and 
domineering to the Canadians. 

It was not long before the settlement was in a state of 
petty warfare, worse even than in the time of De la Salle 
and De la Vente. Cadillac stood at the head of one cabal, 
Bienville at the head of the other, and the aggressive enmity 
of both fell short only of personal conflict. 

Crozat, to make sure of Cadillac's zeal, gave him an interest 
in his trading profit. But the efforts to develop a lucrative 
trade in the colony were a dismal failure. St. Denis was sent 
to Mexico with packs of goods ; ships were loaded for the 
Central American ports ; trading posts and magazines were 
established at Natchez, and at all the principal stations along 
the river.* To force the colonists to buy of him, no vessels 

* Under St. Denis a trading post was established on Red river, on the site of the 
present town of Natchitoches. St. Denis explored Red river much further and ad- 
vanced on a tour of exploration as far as Kio Bravo del Nerte, to observe the 
movements of the Spaniards, to see whether they had advanced over that river into 
J^ouisiana. He found that they had formed a settlement on the western side of the 



72 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

or goods but those of Crozat were allowed to enter the prov- 
ince. Prices were put up to suit Crozat's desires.. And as 
much as possible, all the expenses of the colony were paid 
in merchandise at these exorbitant prices. The inhabitants 
were forbidden selling anything out of the province, and pro- 
hibited even from owning a sea-gomg vessel. The peltry of 
the Canadian trappers was bought at the lowest of prices, 
which, as there was no competition, were fixed by Crozat's 
commissioners ; and he obliged them to receive pay in his 
merchandise also at his own valuation. 

Under the circumstances it is not surprising that huge 
stores of goods rotted m the various warehouses before find- 
ing a purchaser. As for the commerce with Mexico and the 
Spanish posts upon which Crozat's greatest expectation had 
been based, they were destroyed by recent prohibitive meas- 
ures of Spain against French trade.* 

In the Crozat charter the king had agreed to provide fori 
the garrison as usual. But neither pay nor uniforms arrived 
for the soldiers, who, naked and destitute, and not able to 
buy except from Crozat's stores, began to desert to the Eng- 
lish in Canada. To the sum of discord and distress and de- 
sertion came threatened Indian troubles. 

First War of the Natchez. 1716. — In January, 1716, 
news came to Mobile that the Natchezf were raising the 
hatchet against the French. They had pillaged Crozat's 



Bravo and erected a fort called Presidio of St. John the Baptist; no settlement had 
been made by them east of that river, but they claimed jurisdiction to that river 
under the name of province of "Texas," signifying friends, because the Indians 
virere friendly. 

About the same time a small settlement and trading post was established on the 
Yazou, on Sicily Island and high up on the Ouachita (Monroe). Charleville, one 
of tJrozat's traders, penetrated into the Schawanese tribes, then known as the Chou- 
anoes, as far as the Cumberland river. His store was situated on a mound near the 
present site of Nashville. The same year also French posts and missions were es- 
tablished upon the upper tributaries ot the Sabine, also a little settlement was made 
thirty miles west of the present Nacogdoches. 

♦According to a clause in the treaty of Utrecht (which ended the War of the Suc- 
cession), Spain closed her American ports to French goods, and gave trading 
privilege to England. 

t The reason of the outbreak seemed to be the neglect of Cadiliac, in a voyage 
up and down the river, refusing or slighting the offered calumet of the Natchez. 
The Natchez suspiciously concluded that war was intended and struck the first 
blow. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 73 

storehouse, killed his commissioners, and were putting to 
death all Frenchmen caught traveling up and down the river. 
Nothing could be more disastrous to the colony. There was 
no nation so important to it as the Natchez, none with whom 
it was so necessary to keep on good terms. But since they 
were in revolt it was vital to subjugate them promptly and 
in an impressive manner. 

The difference between Crozat and Bienville had deterred 
the latter hitherto from taking up his position at the projected 
fort. Now he hastened in every possible manner to get to 
it at once. But he could obtain from Cadillac only a 
force of forty-nine men. With these he started, and by April 
arrived at the village of the Tunicas, about fifty miles below 
the Natchez. 

As he had not force enough to war, he saw himself obliged 
to gain his point by subtlety. He learned that the Natchez 
had assassinated another Frenchman coming down the river 
from the Illinois, and were lying in wait at the same place 
for fifteen more who were expected. He was warned, also, 
by the French missionary against the Tunicas, who had re- 
ceived presents to kill him. Concealing his anxiety at this 
last information, and his knowledge of the state of affairs 
among the Natchez, he assembled the Tunica warriors and 
gave out to them that his mission was to make a trading es- 
tablishment among the Natchez, but as his men were very 
fatigued with the voyage, he was going to camp on an island 
a third of a league below, to rest for some time, and that 
they would do him a favor by sending some of their tribe to 
announce his arrival to the Natchez. 

This was done at once. He proceeded to the island, where 
he immediately erected an intrenchment and the necessary 
shelters for his men. A few days later three Natchez ar- 
rived, sent by their chief to present the calumet to Bienville. 
He waved it aside, saying that they could get some of his 
soldiers to smoke it, but that tor himself, being a great chief 



74 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

of the French, he would only smoke a calumet presented by 
a Sun chief. The next day the three warriors returned. 
Bienville sent with them a young Frenchman, who spoke 
their language perfectly, to whom he explained everything to 
say to the chiefs, and all the answers necessary to induce 
them to come to the island. The same day he sent one of 
his bravest and most adroit Canadians in a pirogue, to slip 
by the Natchez during the night and hasten up the river to 
warn the fifteen men coming down from the Illinois. He 
gave him, to place in different points of the river, a dozen 
great sheets of parchment on which was written in large 
characters: "The Natchez have declared war against the 
French, and M. de Bienville is camped at the Tunicas." 

In about a week there were seen approaching the island 
four pirogues, in each of which were four men erect, chant- 
ing the calumet, and three sitting under parasols, with twelve 
swimmers round about. It was the Natchez Suns coming 
to fall into the trap prepared for them. 

Bienville ordered one-half of his men not to show them- 
selves, but to keep under arms near by. The other half 
were to stand unarmed around his tent, and when the boats 
landed were to take the arms of the savages as they stepped 
ashore ; and he charged them only to let the eight chiefs he 
named enter his tent ; the rest were to remain seated at the 
door. The eight chiefs entered, holding their calumet, 
which they presented to Bienville. He pushed it aside with 
contempt and asked them what satisfaction they were going to 
give him for the five Frenchmen that they had assassinated. 
They hung their heads without answering, at which Bien- 
ville made a sign to have them seized and conducted to 
the prison he had prepared for them. They were put in 
irons. In the evening bread and meat were presented to 
them. They refused to eat. All sang their death song. 
The next morning he persuaded them to send one of their 
number to the village for the heads of the assassins. Five 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 75 

days later the little Sun returned, fetching three heads. 
Only two were identified as belonging to the guilty parties. 
Bienville threw the rejected head at the teet of the Suns 
and reproached them for sacrificing an innocent man. The 
chiefs confessed that the head was that of a warrior who 
had taken no part in the killing of the Frenchmen, but that 
being the brother of one of the murderers who had escaped, he 
had been put to death in his place. Bienville kept his Natchez 
visitors prisoners a month while awaiting the capture of the 
third criminal. The great Sun fell ill. His irons were re- 
moved, and he was taken into Bienville's tent, and treated 
with great kindness. 

The river began to rise and the water stood over the island ; 
the tents had to be raised on scaffoldings. As many of his 
men fell ill, Bienville concluded to make terms without wait- 
ing further. The Natchez agreed to put the escaped assassin 
to death when they found him, and consented to Bienville's 
executing two of the warriors captured in the Sun's party, as 
it had been proved that they had a hand in the killing. They 
pledged themselves also to furnish timber and assist in build- 
ing the fort for the French at their landing, and henceforth 
to observe a loyal peace with them. They were released and 
restored to their villages. 

Fort Rosalie. 1716. — In the course of the month a solid, 
handsome fort was constructed according to agreement. 
Bienville put his lieutenant, De Pailloux, in command and 
returned to Mobile. 

Cadillac Recalled. 1716. — On his arrival in Mobile, 
Bienville found that Cadillac had been recalled, and he put 
in command until the arrival of the new governor, De I'Epi- 
nay. 

De I'Epinay. 1717. — De I'Epinay was an old lieutenant 
of marine who had seen considerable service in Canada. 
Crozat not only gave to him, as to Cadillac, an interest in the 
profit of his charter, but agreed to pay him two thousand 



76 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

livres a year additional, if, as the governor, he would strictly 
and severely execute the ordinance protecting his monopoly 
of trade. 

De I'Epinay was accompanied by a new commissary, Hu- 
bert. On the vessel that brought them came also a band of 
emigrants and three companies of soldiers. Bienville was 
maintained in his same position, and received as recognition 
of his past services the Cross of St. Louis. But his disap- 
pointment at not succeeding Cadillac was great. He thought 
that his services entitled him to the first place in the colony, 
and he resented the belittling of himself and his Canadian 
fellow pioneers in favor of strangers to Louisiana. 

The secret dissatisfaction soon broke out into open contest. 
Hubert, the new commissary, sided with De I'Epinay, and 
the usual accusations were banded from one side to the other. 
De I'Epinay was charged with tyrannical conduct, scandal- 
ous morals, withholding the presents sent to the Indians for 
himself, and illicit trading. Bienville was accused of being 
a paid pensioner of the Spanish government. It was a libel 
which he never forgot nor forgave. 

Crozat Gives up His Charter. 1717. — Crozat, finding out 
at last there was no trade to be had with Spanish ports, and 
not enough in the colony in spite of all his protection to pay 
him for his expenditures, prayed the king to be relieved of 
his charter. His prayer was granted ; and Louisiana and 
Canada, by another charter, was made over for twenty-five 
years to a company called the Company of the West and of 
the Indies. The president of the company was the famous 
John Law.* 

*John Law, a Scotchman, was one of the most celebrated financiers who ever 
lived. A friend and protege of the regent, Duke of Orleans, he was allowed to ap- 
ply his theories to the amelioration of the national debt of France. He opened a 
bank called the Bank of France, which operated most successfully in re-establish- 
ing credit and reducing the interest on the debt. By degrees Law, extending his 
schemes, took into it the entire colonial interests of France in one comprehensive 
company, the stock of which, under his manipulations, rose to a fabulous height; 
to fall again to the lowest depths. The Company of the Mississippi, as it came to be 
called, met at first with a most glittering success, and its failure involved the bank- 
ruptcy of Law and the greatest ruin in France. In Louisiana it was, on the whole, 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 77 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of the Crozat charter. Disputes between Bienville 
and Cadillac. Cadillac's efforts to secure trade. St. Denis' explora- 
tions (see note). First war of the Natchez. Terms of peace. Build- 
ing of Fort Rosalie. Who succeeded Cadillac.^ Who was De 1' Epinay.? 
Who was John Law? 



CHAPTER XII. 
THE COnPANY OF THE WEST. 

The Company of the West by its charter acquired for 
twenty-five years the exclusive monopoly of the trade of 
Louisiana, with the absolute ownership of any mines that 
might be discovered in the country, the title to any lands 
they improved, and the right of granting concessions to its 
stockholders, upon condition of settlement and improvement. 
They were given all the forts, magazines, guns, ammunition, 
vessels, provisions, etc., in the colony, with all the merchan- 
dise surrendered by Crozat. They were empowered to raise 
troops, fit out ships of war, cast cannon, make war or peace 
with the Indians, and nominate governors and officers (to be 
commissioned, however, by the king). On its side, the com- 
pany obligated itself to build churches, provide clergymen, 
and to bring into the colony during the term of its charter six 
thousand whites and three thousand blacks. The first direc- 
tors of Ihe company, six in number, were to be named by 
the king; afterwards they were to be elected every three 
years by the stockholders.* 

The Superior Council. 1719. — During the Crozat char- 
ter, 1712, a council, called the Superior Council, was ap- 

most beneficial in developing the colony. The title by which it is now known, the 
Mississippi Bubble, records the verdict passed upon it by posterity. Law tell like 
his stock, from vast wealth to utter worthlessness. He ended his days a poverty- 
stricken, homeless adventurer. 

*The first directors of the company named by the regent were: Law, director 
general of the Bank of France; Diron d'Artaguette (former royal commissary), 
receiver general of the finances of Auch ; Duche, receiver general of the finances of 
La Rochelle; Moreau, deputy of commerce of St. JSIalo ; Piou, deputy of com- 
merce of Nantes ; Castaigne and Mouchard, merchants of La Rochelle. 



78 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

pointed for three years, to administer justice in civil and 
criminal cases. It was composed of five members — the gov- 
ernor, the royal commissary, the commander of the royal 
troops, who elected the other two members, and an attorney 
general, clerk, etc. 

The term of this first board having expired, a new one* 
was appointed, composed of the directors of the company 
presided over by the governor, with the director general of 
the company as senior counsellor. But, although he had the 
seat of honor at the board, the governor had no more power 
than his one vote entitled him to, and he was in reality subor- 
dinate to the senior counsellor, who performed the functions 
of president of the tribunal, counting the votes, pronouncing 
■judgments, affixing seals, etc. 

Inferior Councils. — Hitherto this council was the sole tri- 
bunal of the colony, but the increasing extension of popula- 
tion demanded that tribunals should be stationed in several 
parts of the province. The directors of the company and the 
agents, with two to four of the most notable of the inhabi- 
tants of any neighborhood, were, therefore, constituted mto 
such inferior tribunals. Their judgments were appealable to 
the Superior Council. 

Bienville Governor. 1718. — The new company applied 
all the stimulus of capital and determination to the develop- 
ment of their enterprise. 

They recalled De I'Epinay, and gave the government to 
Bienville (with the title of Commandant General for the 
King), as to the one man qualified by experience and ability 
to carry out their expectations. The appointment was backed 
by three ships loaded with abundant supplies of money, 
provisions, merchandise and a full corp of directors, under 

*The first Superior Council under the Company of the West was composed of 
Bienville, commandant general ; Hubert, senior counsellor; Boisbriant and Chat- 
eaugue, king's lieutenants; I'Archambault, Villardo and Legas, puisne counsel-- 
lors ; Cartier de Baume was the attorney general, and Cuture the clerk. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 



79 



a director general,* and more than seven hundred emi- 
grants. 

A large and capable corps of engineers was sent out under 
the Chevalier Leblond de la Tour, a knight of St. Louis, to 
superintend the construction of the necessary public works. 

Bienville went to action with an energy which showed that 
he considered the expectations of the company of easy ful- 
filment with the means at his disposal. 

To make sure of his western boundaries against the Span- 
iards, he sent Chateaugnay to take possession and build a 
fort at La Salle's old site on the coast of Texas. De la 
Harpe, with fifty emigrants, was sent to establish a post on 
Red river among the Caddodaquious. The newly arrived 
engineers were ordered to examine and report upon the depth 
of water at the mouth of the Mississippi, with a view to se- 
curing a good channel into it. 




New Orleans. 1718. — He himself, with a party of work- 
men, set out to accomplish a design which had lain near his 
heart ever since the days of his command at Fort Maurepas. 
This was to found a city on the banks of the Mississippi ; 



♦Among the first arrivals, in August, 1718, was the first historian of Louisiana, 
Le Page du Pratz. He came with a force of ten men, and selected a tract of land 
near the new city. Du Pratz relates the anchoring of his ship in the open road be- 
fore Dauphin Island ; the chanting of the Te Deum for the safe voyage, the landing 
of the passengers and their effects, etc. On the island he was lodged and led by a 
friend, an old ship captain who treated him to the most wonderful good cheer, the 
fish particularly eliciting glowing praise. 



80 HISTORY OF I.OUISIANA. 

for he was convinced that a city thus situated would one day 
be one of the trading centres of the continent. He had 
chosen the spot years before, and had even settled some Can- 
adians there to prove its fertility and height above overflow. 
It was a ridge of high land near the bank of the Mississippi, 
about one hundred and fifty miles from its mouth ; commu- 
nicating with Lake Pontchartrain in the rear by a small 
bayou (afterwards named Bayou St. John). He named the 
place after the Duke of Orleans, regent of France, the patron 
of Law and the Company of the West. 

Colonization. 1718. — Over in France the Mississippi 
Company continued parceling out its capital of land in large 
concessions to its shareholders, who sent over emigrants by 
the ship load to take possession. The Yazou* district, 
Natchez, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Baton Rouge, Man- 
chac, Houma, Tchoupitoulas (jnst above the site of the new 
city), Cannes Brulees, Bay of St. Louis, Pascagoula, all 
were made over to noble or millionaire families. Law him- 
self secured a tract of four miles square on the Arkansas, to 
which he shipped Protestant Swiss and German emigrants. 

The small establishments of Mobile and Dauphin Island 
staggered under the sudden increase of population put upon 
them. According to the terms of the Mississippi Company, 
free lodging, food and transportation were guaranteed to the 
colonists. As the concessions were scattered all over the lower 
Mississippi valley, boats and carts had to be made to convey 
the emigrants. The overworked carpenters did what they 
could, but delays were unavoidable, and while the emigrants 
were waiting for the means of transportation they were 

* A company headed by Leblanc, secretary of state, the Comte de Bienville, and 
the Marquis de Assleck, took p. issession of the Yazous. Concessions at Natchez 
were jnade to the Commissioner Hubert, and to a company of St. Malo merchants. 
Natchitoch s was conceded to Bernard de la Harpe, the compiler of "Journal 
Historiques ;" Tunicas to St Reme ; Pointe Coupee to De Meuse ; the present site 
of Baton Rouge to Diron d'Artaguette ; the bank of the Mississippi opposite 
Manchac to Paris Duvernay; the Tchoupitoulas lands to De Muys ; that of the 
Oumas to Marquis d'Artagnac;the bank opposite to De Guiche, Dela Houssaie and 
De la Houpe ; Bay St. Louis to Madame de Mezieres ; and Pascagoula to Madame 
de Chaumont. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 81 

forced to eat the provisions sent to feed them in their new- 
homes, and spend the money they had brought to furnish 
them. No lodgings being provided, they were forced to 
sleep under any shelter they could find. In the summer 
months this produced great distress and sickness, particularly 
among the women and children. 

Capture of Pensacola. 1719. — But the colony was to 
receive an interruption, and an interruption of the pleas- 
antest kind to the Canadian governor and his soldiers. 

In April, 17 19, Bienville's brother and nephew, the two 
De Serignys,* sailed into the harbor of Dauphin Island, 
bringing the news of war between France and Spain. This 
was the opportunity for which the French had been waiting 
for twenty years, to capture Pensacola. Bienville summoned 
a council of war, and it was decided to attack the Spaniards 
at once, before they heard the news and had time to put 
themselves in a state of defence. 

As soon as his cargoes were discharged De Serigny sailed 
there with his ships, the Marechal de Villars and the Philippe, 
followed by the Count de Toulouse, which happened to be in 
port. They carried one hundred and fifty soldiers. Bien- 
ville sailed in a sloop with eighty men. With a fair wind 
they made a good run to Isle Ste. Rosa, the outpost of the 
Spaniards. Anchoring as close to land as possible, the troops 
disembarked unperceived, and soon mastered the small gar- 
rison stationed there. Putting their prisoners in irons and 
dressing in their uniforms they easily deceived and cap- 
tured the detail, who came out next morning to relieve 
guard. Embarking then in the Spanish boat, they crossed 
the bay, entered the fort, surprised the sentinels on duty, and 
captured the whole place — soldiers, magazine, storehouse and 
the commandant, who was still in bed. Chateaugnay was 

* De Serigny, the brother, was charged with the commission to examine and 
sound the coast of Louisiana. His maps form the beginning of the scientific car- 
tography of the Mississippi Delta. 



82 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

put in command, and the Spanish garrison shipped for Ha- 
vana on the Comte de Toulouse. The governor of Havana 
received the French officers in charge most ceremoniously, 
thanking them for the politeness of their visit ; but no sooner 
were the prisoners in his hands than he seized them with 
their ship, placed the soldiers in irons and put the entire crew, 
officers and all, in prison. He then equipped the French 
vessel with a Spanish crew and Spanish soldiers, and sent 
them with his squadron to retake Pensacola. The Spanish 
vessels drew up behind the Isle Ste. Rosa. The French ves- 
sels, flying the French colors, boldly entered the channel. 
Scarcely was anchor dropped, however, when the French flag 
was lowered, the Spanish run up, and three cannon shots 
fired. At the signal the rest of the squadron made its appear- 
ance, twelve sail in all. The next day eighteen hundred men 
were landed and began the assault, which soon reduced the 
fort. Chateaugnay was sent to rejoin his compatriots in 
Havana. The Spanish commander then sailed over to Mo- 
bile and summoned Serigny, who was in command, to sur- 
render. Serigny, surrounded by his soldiers, Canadians, and 
savages in all their war paint, received the messenger and 
told him that the Spaniards could come when they pleased, 
they would find the French ready to receive them. And in 
truth the French made so gallant a show that the Spaniards 
did not venture to land, nor even come within gunshot of 
the French batteries. One of their vessels, entering the bay, 
captured some flat-boats of provisions and ravaged the plan- 
tations along the shore. Fortunately, that night Bienville was 
sending la reinforcement of Indians to his brother. These 
fell upon the marauders. Very few escaped. 

The sight of a squadron o± French war ships in the gulf 
hastened the departure of the Spanish fleet. With this strong 
reinforcement, Bienville and Serigny shortly afterwards 
sailed again to Pensacola and captured it a second time, and 
destroyed its fortifications. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 83 

After this sprightly episode, the colony returned to its 
former routine of life. 

Inflation. 1719. — Emigrants continued to arrive by the 
hundred, two hundred, four hundred at a time. Ignorant of 
all life except that of the small peasant of France, dazed 
from the long voyage, weak from sea-sickness, a more help- 
less mass of people never landed in a new country. And no 
emigrants ever landed in a more unfavorable spot than Dau- 
phin Island. Put ashore with their scanty effects, they were 
forced to wait weeks for the means of transportation to their 
concessions ; without shelter, with insufficient food, unable 
to find work or gain anything by cultivating the arid soil, 
tortured and blinded by the dazzling white sand, under the 
rays of a tropical sun, exposed to the infection of the ships 
from the West Indian Islands, always waiting and hoping 
and being disappointed, it is easy to believe that most of 
the unfortunate creatures died on the spot of their misery. 
The directors of the company, more and more helpless 
before the increasing difficulties of the situation, and more 
and more unable to meet the demands upon them, were 
panic stricken at the crisis which they saw impending. They 
couid think of no remedy but a change of base. 

Bienville exerted himself in vain in favor of New Orleans. 
The emigrants, he maintained, could be landed there and 
easily distributed to their concessions, or find self-support in 
cultivating the rich alluvial soil. He was outvoted at the 
council, which decided in favor of the old capital, Biloxi. 

Biloxi. 1720. — The move was effected with all haste, and 
at great expense to the company and colony ; and in a short 
time Fort St. Louis de la Mobile was only a garrison post, 
and Dauphin Island a way station for incoming and outgoing 
ships. But, as Bienville had maintained, there was no change 
from the removal except to still greater financial loss and hu- 
man misery. The emigrants continued to increase m numbers 
and their quality decreased. Formerly small bodies of con- 



84 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

victs were sent to Louisiana to work out their sentences there in 
clearing and developing the land. Now the company, to keep 
up by flattering numbers its enterprise in the eyes of the share- 
holders, began to send as emigrants any material they could 
get, even by force or fraud. Prisons, reformatories, asylums 
and hospitals were raided, and the inmates shipped to the 
Mississippi. Kidnappers in the streets of Paris and other 
large cities of France drove a thriving trade by furnishing 
emigrants at so much a head. And to add to the dark pic- 
ture, slave ships brought their wretched, reeking African 
cargoes, and dumped them, like so much ballast, on the 
sands of Biloxi. The result can be imagined. Crime and 
outrage could not be prevented. The famine became so 
great that more than five hundred died of hunger. Fish and 
oysters were all the food that the starving creatures could 
find, and to get them they had to wade out in water up to 
their waists. Their dead bodies were found in heaps around 
piles of oyster shells. 

New Biloxi. — A drunken, sleeping sergeant, by letting his 
lighted pipe fall in his tent, started a fire which consumed 
Biloxi to the ground. A council of all the colonial officers 
was held, and another transference of headquarters was de- 
cided upon. Bienville again made an effort in favor of New 
Orleans, and was again outvoted, on the pretext that there 
was not enough water at the mouth of the Mississippi to per- 
mit the entrance of loaded vessels. The point of land oppo- 
site Deer Island, called thenceforth New Biloxi, was chosen 
for the seat of government, and orders for its establishment 
carried into effect at once. A fort and extensive buildings 
were put up on the mainland, and a hospital on the island. 

Bienville met the denial of the possibility of loaded vessels 
entering the mouth of the Mississippi by the proposition to 
send the " Dromadaire/' a vessel of the company, through 
it as a test. One of the directors opposed this violently on 
the strength of a certificate from the captain of the " Drom- 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 85 

adaire," that his vessel could not get through the mouth of 
the river. Bienville then declared that he would send the 
vessel through on his own responsibility ; the director warned 
him that if he did so he would be held liable for damages. 
Bienville, shortly afterwards, did in fact carry the " Drom- 
adaire " triumphantly through the passes. 

Pauger, De la Tour's assistant, was dispatched to the passes 
to make maps of them and a report to send to France, to 
prove Bienville's theory, that the Mississippi was navigable 
for large vessels and that New Orleans must be the capital 
of the province. Pauger* went also with a force of convicts 
to lay out New Orleans as a regular city. He accomplished 
the task satisfactorily; clearing the neglected space, aligning 
streets, assigning allotments, and making a plan of the whole, 
containing the names of the owners of the allotments. 

The Mississippi Bubble. 1721. — Just at the time the 
news of Law's failure and flight, and collapse of the Missis- 
sippi scheme, reached the colony. All enterprise and hope 
were for a moment paralyzed, and a financial panic seemed 
inevitable. But ships, emigrants, soldiers and merchandise 
continued to arrive as before, and it soon became evident 
that whatever the amount of bankruptcy caused in France 
to the stockholders and investors in the Mississippi scheme, 
Louisiana was not going to be given up as a bad debt. 

In France the board of directors to whom had been con- 
fided the liquidation of the company made known their de- 
termination not to abandon the enterprise by sending out new 
directors and two officials, Messrs. Daunoy and De la Chaise, 
to examine into the late accounts. 

The statements published by the Company of the West 
proved that during the term of its charter it had transported 
to Louisiana 7020 persons, among these 600 negroes. The 

* Pauger's map of New Orleans is the earliest we have. 



86 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

expenditures had been enormous ; those of the last year alone 
having risen to 474,274 livres. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of the Company of the West? The judicial ad- 
ministration of the colony? What of New Orleans? Give an account 
of the capture of Pensacola and follow^ing circumstances? What of 
the inflation of 1719? The sufferings of emigrants? Move to Biloxi? 
Scenes there? New Biloxi? How did Bienville exert himself in favor 
of New Orleans? What of the passage of the " Dromadaire " through 
the mouth of the Mississippi? What was the effect of the breaking 
of the Mississippi Bubble in Louisiana? How many persons had the 
Company of the West brought into Louisiana? 



CHAPTER XIII. 

NEW ORLEANS. 

New Orleans, Capital of the Colony. 1722. — Bienville's 
reiterated letters on the subject, with Pauger's map and re- 
ports, at last convinced the Louisiana administrators in 
France, and the long desired authorization was received tc 
remove the capital of the colony to New Orleans. 

Centralization. — From this moment Louisiana ceased to 
be a mere colonial experiment, and began to be self sustain- 
ing from its own efforts. The work of transference was 
begun without delay and was prosecuted with vigor. In 
June, 1732, De la Tour and Pauger lead the way, by sail- 
ing in a loaded vessel through the mouth of the river. As. 
soon as word was brought back that they had passed the bar, 
other boats followed with men, building materials, ammuni- 
tion and provisions. 

Under De la Tour's supervision, the city took form and 
shape. A church and houses were built, levees thrown up, 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 87 

ditches made, and a great canal dug in the rear for drainage ; 
a cemetery located, and a quay constructed protected with 
palisades. Bienville arrived and took up his residence 
there in August. To Pauger w^as assigned a post at the 
Balize.* With fifty workmen and a dredge boat, he per- 
formed marvels in an incredibly short time. Besides keeping 
a pass open, he built out of the drift caught from the river, 
lodgings, storehouses, boats, a smithy, and a chapel with a 
belfry that could serve for a light-house, while his gardens 
furnished the gladdest of welcomes both to the eye and heart 
of the weary incoming sea traveler. 

Beginnings of New Orleans. — New Orleans, however, 
had no more fortunate beginnings than Mobile or Biloxi. In 
the midst of the building and transportation the September 
storm came on, with a hitherto unexperienced violence. For 
five days the furious hurricane raging from east to west, 
swept land and sea. The ripened crops of rice, corn, and 
beans on the river bank were utterly destroyed, the houses 
and buildings of the planters blown down. In New Orleans 
the church and most of the new edifices were demolished, 
and three vessels wrecked in the river. At Biloxi, the maga- 
zine with all the stores, and a ship with its cargo of ammuni- 
tion and food were ruined ; almost all of the boats, sloops and 
pirogues were lost, and two ships rendered totally unfit for 
service. For a week the greatest apprehensions were felt on 
account of the three ships anchored at Ship Island and for a 
ship on its way to the mouth of the river loaded with pine 
timber for a storehouse, which had cost the company over a 
hundred thousand livres. All of them arrived in course of 
time at New Orleans, passing with facility over the bar. 
Another crop of rice sprouted from the seeds scattered by 
the storm — a proof of the fertility of the land — which came 
as a great consolation to the colonists ; but the destruction of 

♦Balize means buoy. 



86 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Other food which could not be replaced brought upon them 
the affliction of a famine. 

To complete the sum of disasters fevers broke out with 
great mortality, and the indomitable Bienville himself fell 
ill, and for a time his life was despaired of. But the city 
grew despite it all, and became, as it was destined to become, 
the centre of the colony, attracting inhabitants from all quar- 
ters. 

After the bankruptcy of Law, his concessions upon the 
Arkansas became entirely neglected. Most of his colonists, 
seeing themselves abandoned by him, moved down to New 
Orleans, in hopes of finding a passage back to their native 
country. The council, not willing to lose them, gave them 
land on both banks of the river, about twenty miles above the 
city. It is still called from them the " Cote des Allemands "! 
(divided between the parishes St. Charles and St. John the 
Baptist). The industrious Germans took to garden culture 
and soon supplied the markets of New Orleans with vegeta- 
bles. Every Saturday their little fleet was seen descending 
the river loaded with their fresh verdant produce. 

Restoration of Pensacola to the Spaniards. — The ter- 
mination of the war with Spain, and a double marriage 
alliance between the two crowns, made the retention of Pen- 
sacola by France an impossibility. It was formally surren- 
dered by Bienville in the beginning of the year 1723. 

Second Natchez War. 1723. — The disaffected Natchez 
tribes had gradually recovered from the crushing punishmenl 
inflicted upon them and again influenced by either the 
English or by the Chickasaws, allies of the English, had 
commenced their depredations and ambushed assaults upon 
the French — attempts which had grown in boldness until fean 
were entertained for the safety of the post. After the usual rou- 
tine of pacificatory measures — summoning the chiefs to him, 
haranguing them, giving presents to them, Bienville saw him- 
self forced to an attitude more intelligible to the savage mind. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 89 

In October, 1723, he landed there with a small army ot seven 
hundred men — regulars, volunteers and Indians. To give the 
villagers no time to rally or fortify, he began his march against 
them the morning after arrival. " Stung Serpent," a noted 
Natchez chief, still loyal to the French, hurried to Fort 
Rosalie, where the commandant slept, and confessed that the 
people of the White Apple, Jenzenaque and Gray Village 
were in a state of insurrection, and obtained from Bienville 
the promise that vengeance should strike only the three guilty 
villages. It was on All Saints' Day that the army, with all 
precautions for their surprise, filed through the narrow paths 
of the forest surrounding the doomed White Apple village. 
They came to a mud cabin, before which were three squaws 
pounding corn. The women ran in and closed the door after 
them. Two or three warriors inside made a defence, but 
they were expeditiously killed and scalped and the women 
made prisoners. With the exception of some individual ex- 
ploits by Canadian and Indian scouts, this was the only war- 
like achievement of the French in the campaign. The White 
Apple village was found deserted ; it was burned and the 
army returned to St. Catherine's Concession, whence they 
had set out in the morning. 

A few days later, Bienville led his army against the Gray 
village, with the same results. The village and temple were 
burned. From a captured squaw it was learned that the In- 
dians were awaiting the French at the Jenzenaque village, a 
half league away. On this the army was wheeled about, and a 
Tunica chief leading the way, marched toward the enemy. A 
strong cabin was discovered on a height, the fifes struck up, 
and the army forming into a square advanced. This cabin, 
like the others, was found empty. The Tunica chief, taking a 
turn around the height, perceived below him one of the 
enemy's chiefs, a Little Sun, or rather they both at the same 
time saw one another ; aimed and fired. The Tunica chief 
stretched his enemy dead on the spot, but fell himself danger- 



90 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

ously wounded at the instant. The army then again returned 
to St. Catherine. Bienville summoned Stung Serpent to him 
and they agreed upon a peace ; but the Natchez, not the 
French, were felt to have been victorious in the skirmish. 

Bienville Recalled. 1724. — There had been no more 
harmony between Bienville and the Directors General Hubert 
and Duvergier than between him and the Governors Cadillac 
and De I'Epinay. And, as in the former cases, discords 
took the shape of charges and accusations. The suspicion 
caused by the old stories of De la Salle and De la Vente 
had never wholly died out, and every dissatisfied official re- 
turning to France revived them by their versions of new 
tyrannies and flagrant peculations. 

Hubert and Duvergier took to France their accusations in 
written documents with notarial signatures and attestation. 
These produced prompt effect in official headquarters. A 
letter from the king directed Bienville to sail to France im- 
mediately and answer for himself. 

Black Code. 1724, — To provide the security and protec- 
tion of the law to the growing number of negro slaves im- 
ported into the colony, Bienville published his celebrated 
Code for the Blacks, or "Code Noir," taken from the regu- 
lations compiled by the jurists of Louis XIV for the island 
of St. Domingo. It was the last public ordinance to which 
he affixed * his name before returning to France. After his 
departure the Superior Council investigated the charges made 
by Hubert and Duvergier. They reported that they found 
them to be only the calumny of the malicious. The notary 
who had signed them had his commission revoked and was 
himself condemned as a libeler. 

*Also signed by De la Chaise, Fazende, Brusle, Perry, members of the Superior 
Council. De la Chaise had succeeded to Duvergier as Commissary General of the 
colony. The following is the list of captains commanding in Louisiana, with the 
date of their commissions: 1714, Marigny de Mandeville ; 1717, De la Tour, D'Ar- 
taguette ; 1719, Du Tisne, Lamarque ; 1730, Leblanc, Desliettes, Marchand de Cour- 
celles, Renault d'Hauterive and Pradel. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 91 

The year following, rumors being rife in the colony 
that the Indians were rejoicing over the recall of Bienville, 
and that his reappearance in the colony would be the signal 
for hostilities from them, De Noyan, Bienville's nephew, 
made a request to the Superior Council that the Natchez, 
Houmas, Tunicas and other tribes might give voice to their 
sentiments and refute so grievous a calumny against his uncle. 
The Superior Council acceding, these nations made their 
declarations that they all regretted Bienville. 

Bienville was, nevertheless, destituted, and in his ruin in- 
volved his family and friends. Chateaugnay was relieved of 
his rank, the twoDeNoyans were broken and sent to France. 

Boisbriant was recalled to give an account of his conduct. 
Pauger, Perry, Perrault, as members of the council, were 
censured ; the two latter were sent to France. Fazende, 
also dismissed, was allowed to remain in the colony. In 
short, for the first time since its colonization, Louisiana was 
to own in its government neither member nor iriend of the 
family of its founders. 

Arrived in France, Bienville presented his justification to 
the minister, the memoir* of the services that had filled his 
life ; since a mere stripling he had followed his brother Iber- 



* The following is an extract from his memoir: 

*• It is not without trouble I arrived at being absolute master of so many nations 
'• of such barbarous tempers and such different characters, almost every one of 
" which has a particular language. One can conjecture how many difficulties I 
" encountered and what risks I ran to lay the foundations of the colony and 
" maintain it to the present time. Necessity, it is said, renders us industrious ; I ex- 
" perienced that it also renders us intrepid in danger, and makes us perform, so 
" to speak, the impossible in the different conjunctures in which one finds oneself 
" in an unknown world with such a small force. I first applied myself to putting 
" myself in a position to govern by myself without the aid of an interpreter. 1 
" applied myself to the language which appeared to me to be the dominant one 
" among the savages, and of which the knowledge would facilitate me in learning 
" the others in the end. I was fortunate enough Irom the first years to gain their 
" confidence and their friendship. I studied to know well their customs so as to be 
" able to retain them in peace with one another ; so that for the twenty-seven years 
" during which I had the honor of commanding in the province, I was the arbiter 
'* of their differences. I always governed these nations, born in independence, so 
" to speak, despotically; and I pushed my authority to the deposing of chiefs. 

*' The Sieur de Bienville dares say that the establishment of the colony is due 
*' to the constancy with which he has attached himself to it for twenty-seven years 
" without going out of it since he made the discovery of it with his brother Iber- 
"ville." 



92 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

ville in quest of the country for the government of which he 
was now, a middle-aged man, called to account. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of the removal of capital to New Orleans. What 
of the beginning of the city? What of the Germans belonging to 
Law's concession? When was Pensacola restored to the Spanish? 
Give an account of the Natchez war. The recall of Bienville. The 
Black Code. What of the investigation into his conduct by the 
Superior Council? What of Bienville in France? 



CHAPTER XIV. 

NATCHEZ MASSACRE. 

Perier Governor. 1725. — Bienville's successor, Perier, 
arrived and took up his abode in the capital, where, for a 
time, all went well in the march of improvement. 

Ursuline Sisters. — A great event in the community was 
the arrival of six Ursuline Sisters to found a convent for the 
education of the young girls of the colony, and to serve in 
the hospital. While their convent was being built, they took 
up their residence in Bienville's* old hotel. 

The Jesuits, who came over at the same time as the 
Ursulines, were given a tract of land immediately above the 
the city, in what was long known as the faubourg St. Mary. 
They had a house and chapel built and laid out their ground 
in a plantation for Myrtle waxf trees. 

^Situated in the space now bounded by Chartres, Decatur, Bienville and Cus- 
tomhouse streets. One of the nuns thus describes it in a letter to her father: "The 
•* finest house in the town. It is a two-story building- with an attic . . . with six 
" doors in the first story. In all the stories there are large windows, but with no 
" glass. The frames are closed with very thin linen, admitting of as much light as 
" glass." 

t Wax was an important and valuable article of trade at a time when candles 
were the principal means of illumination. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 93 

City in 1725. — The government house had been built on 
the land next to the Jesuits. In the centre of the city stood 
the Cathedral; facing it was the Place d'Armes, on each 
side of which were the barracks. A house for the sessions 
of the Superior Councils and a jail were built on the square 
immediately above the Cathedral. A levee ran in front of 
the city, and a wide ditch for drainage on Bourbon street. 
Each lot was at first surrounded with a small ditch, in 
addition to the larger ditches around the squares, but these 
in course of time were filled. On the plantations the culture 
of indigo had been added to that of tobacco and rice ; the 
fig tree was introduced from Provence, and the orange from 
St. Domingo. 

To provide wives for the bachelors, numbers of young girls 
were again brought into the colony. They were poor, but 
of good character and honest family. Each of them was 
supplied with a small box, called in French "cassette/' con- 
taining clothing, which gave the girls the name of filles a la 
cassette. They remained in charge of the nuns until mar- 
ried. 

Natchez Massacre. 1727. — After Bienville's last treaty 
with them the Natchez seemed determined to remain on good 
terms with the French, but the systematic tyranny and injus- 
tice of Chepart, the officer in command of Fort Rosalie, in- 
furiated the tribes into such hatred that they inflicted a blow 
which made the colony reel, and appalled the home govern- 
ment. The crowning outrage of Chepart was most wanton. 
Looking for a suitable tract of land for a plantation, he cast 
his eyes upon the charmingly situated White Apple village, 
and determined to possess it. He sent for the Sun of the 
village and ordered him and his tribe to vacate it. The Sun 
replied that the ancestors of his tribe had possessed the vil- 
lage as many years as there were hairs in his war lock, and 
it was only right that he and his descendants should still live 
in it. But the French commander, refusing to listen to reason 



94 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

or remonstrance, fixed the day for evacuation. The Sun 
assembled the council of his village and made a speech in 
which he exposed the rapacity and tyranny of the French and 
urged the tribe to make a stand against it. 

Village by village was aroused, and the different Suns 
adopted the determination to strike one bloody blow, and 
free themselves forever of the burthensome yoke upon them. 
Emissaries were sent to the adjoining tribes. Packages con- 
taining an equal number of sticks were prepared and sent to 
every village, with directions to take out a stick every day 
after the new moon. The attack was to be made on the day 
on which the last stick was taken out. 

Great care was taken to keep the design from the women. 
One of the female Suns, however, had her suspicion aroused, 
and extracted the secret from her son. The bundle of sticks 
for her village had been deposited in the temple, the keeper 
of which was to take out a stick daily and burn it in the 
sacred fire. The princess, by reason of her rank, had access 
to the temple at all times. She found an opportunity to take 
one or two sticks from the bundle and threw them into the 
fire ; this destroyed the count and prevented unanimity of 
action. It is said that she even gave notice of the massacre 
to one of the officers of the garrison ; but her warning was 
unheeded. 

The fatal day arrived. By daylight the Natchez, in small 
groups, strolled into Fort Rosalie and the establishment ad- 
joining until they outnumbered the whites. Pretending that 
they were going on a hunt, they borrowed guns and offered 
to buy powder and shot. At 9 o'clock the signal was given. 
Each Indian fell on his man. By noon two hundred were 
killed, and ninety-two women and fifty-five children and all 
the negroes were made prisoners. Chepart was among the 
first slain. During the massacre the great Sun, with appar- 
ent unconcern, smoked his pipe in the government ware- 
house. His men brought in to him the heads of the officers 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 9S 

placing that of Chepart in the centre and the others around 
When the Sun was informed that not a white man was left 
alive, except a carpenter and tailor specially reserved from 
the massacre, he gave the command to pillage. Every build- 
ing was sacked and the spoils divided. Two soldiers, who 
were accidentally in the woods, escaped and earned the 
news to Perier, in New Orleans. 

The colony trembled from limit to limit. New Orleans 
was given over to panic. Every settlement of Indians, how- 
ever small, became an object of dread. There was an insig- 
nificant and peaceful group of Chouachas livmg above the 
city. Perier sent a band of negroes from the neighboring 
plantation and had them ruthlessly destroyed — men, women 
and children. 

Ships were sent to France for troops. Couriers were des- 
patched to the Illinois, Red river and Mobile countries, 
warning the white men there. Emissaries were also sent 
among the Yazous to hold them true to France. 

The Choctaws were the first in the field. Seven hundred 
of them, under the Canadian Le Sueur, fell upon the Natchez 
while they were still in the midst of their feasting and re- 
joicing, killed sixty of their warriors, and rescued fifty-nine 
women and children, and one hundred slaves who had been 
taken prisoners. It was February before the troops from 
New Orleans, fourteen hundred men, under Loubois, ar- 
rived. The Natchez, in the meantime, had fortified them- 
selves in the White Apple village in two strong houses. Fort 
Flour, and the well named by the French, Fort Valor. Their 
defence was splendid. The French opened siege with all the 
science of continental warfare — sappers, miners, cannon ; 
but from the first they were hopelessly overmatched in every 
soldierly qualification by their savage foes. 

The honors of the campaign rested with the Choctaws. 
They at least had the merit of terminating it. Waiting in 
vain for the French to make a promised breach in one of the 



96 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

forts, and seeing one day thirty Frenchmen running from the 
trench before a sortie of the Natchez, the Choctaws opened 
a parley with Fort Flour. Alabamma Mingo, one of their 
most famous chiefs, made a speech to the obstinate foes, m 
which he convinced them that although the French could not 
fight them the Choctaws were sufficient in numbers and pos- 
sessed patience enough to blockade them and force them in- 
to surrender through starvation. The Natchez agreed to de- 
liver to the Choctaws the remainder of their women, 
children and negro prisoners, if the French would evacuate 
their position and with their guns retire to the banks of the 
river. This was executed. Two nights after the Natchez 
secretly made their escape from their forts, eluding all pur- 
suit of the French. With their allies, the Yazous, some of 
them sought refuge with the Chickasaws. The others, cross- 
ing the Mississippi, made their way westward through forest 
and swamp to an imposing mound, in the present parish of 
Catahoula, just above the juncture of Little river with the 
Ouachita. Here they remained until tidings reached them 
of a great armament of white men and Indians led by Perier 
close upon them. They withdrew to a far stronger military 
position, to a thirty-foot bluff on the eastern end of a plateau, 
known now as Sicily Island, situated at the southwest ex- 
tremity of a small lake (Lake Lovelace). There they in- 
trenched themselves. It took Perier nine months with 
twenty different scouting parties to locate them. 

Last Stand of the Natchez. 1731. — In the middle of the 
summer the remforcements from France arrived — eight hun- 
dred French soldiers and Swiss mercenaries. This, with 
what he could raise from among the colonists and his Indian 
allies, enabled Perier to garrison all his settlements and lead 
a thousand men against his enemies. 

In the beginning of the year 1731 he ascended the Mis- 
sissippi to the mouth of the Red river, where all of his 
forces were to assemble. Proceeding through Red river to 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 97 

Black river and up the Ouachita, he reached the lair, in 
which the Natchez stood like beasts at bay. As before, 
the Natchez held their own gallantly, until they brought 
about a parley. Perier refused to treat with any but chiefs. 
Two Suns and the great warrior who had defended Fort 
Flour presented themselves. They were treacherously made 
prisoners. Perier then demanded the surrender of all French 
prisoners ; this was acceded to. During the night the war- 
rior from Fort Flour made his escape ; the two Suns, not so 
fortunate, were discovered and held. Perier then offered to 
spare the lives of all the Natchez men, women and children 
who delivered themselves up to him. The next day four 
hundred women and children and forty-five men left the 
Natchez fortifications and ranged themselves inside those of 
the French ; but they came in such small groups that the 
whole day was consumed in the surrender. Seventy still 
remained in their fo|t, asking a delay until the morrow. It 
was raining in torrents. Between the water under foot and 
the water overhead, not being able to take them, Perier was 
xorced to consent. At 9 o'clock at night the weather cleared, 
and the French could approach the Natchez forts. They 
were found deserted ! Again the great fighting bulk of the 
nation, under the leadership of the redoubtable warrior of 
Fort Flour, had given the slip to their captors. The strong- 
hold was destroyed and two prisoners taken were scalped and 
burned. Perier returned to New Orleans with his trophies 
of women and children, the two Suns and forty men, all of 
whom he sold into slavery in St. Dommgo. 

Escaped Natchez. — The number of Natchez Indians 
who escaped durnig the siege and capitulation was three 
hundred. They spread themselves over the Red river coun- 
try, savagely attacking the Natchitoches fort under St. Denis. 
Beaten back, they took possession of a deserted Natchitoches 
village, from which they were driven out by St. Denis, after 
an obstinate fight. They then sought refuge with the Chicka- 



98 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

saws, who from the first had offered their villages and strong- 
holds to them. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of the citj in 1725. What product had been added 
to agriculture? Give an account of the Natchez massacre. The effect 
on the colony. Describe the expedition against them. What of the 
treaty? Describe the last stand of the Natchez. What became of 
those who were taken prisoners? Those who escaped? 



CHAPTER XV. 
LOUISIANA A ROYAL PROVINCE. 1731. 

With the peace, prosperity and life of the colony threatened 
by an Indian war, the administrators in France could not 
hope to carry on its development with any profit. They 
therefore remitted their charter to the king, and Louisiana 
once more came back into the wardship of the royal govern- 
ment. The colonists themselves, shaken by past events, lost 
confidence in the men over them. The commandants of the 
different posts who had served under Bienville's long admin- 
istration, wrote to the Minister of the Marine representing 
his merits over those of any man who had ever governed in 
the colony. Pontchartrain himself must have felt the force 
of their arguments if not of his experience with Bienville. 
Perier was recalled, and the Canadian, relieved of his dis- 
grace, reinstated. 

Bienville Governor. 1733. — Stopping at St. Domingo 
on his way to Louisiana, Bienville had an interview with his 
old friends, the unfortunate Natchez who had been sold into 
slavery. They assured him that they had only been driven 
into revolt by the hard treatment they had received from the 
French officers at Fort Rosalie, and that they bitterly re- 
gretted the sad termination of their long alliance with the 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 99 

French. The governor was much impressed with their 
changed fate and the wretchedness of their demeanor. 

Arrived in New Orleans, Bienville took up his residence 
in his former hotel and addressed himself to his old routine 
of governing. 

War With the Chickasaws. 1736. — The first and most 
important claim upon his attention was naturally the Natchez 
question. He could arrive at no accurate estimate of the 
number of them still at large. But, through his Indian allies, 
he knew that there were three bands of them ; one on the 
Ouachita, one on the Yazou and one with the Chickasaws. 

French security demanded that these last should be pro- 
ceeded against in an exemplary manner. In case the Chick- 
asaws could not be forced or bribed to give them up, they 
must be included in the war also. The Choctaws were his 
main reliance. Strong and powerful, their rivalry of the 
Chickasaws had kept them in a state of well disciplined war- 
fare. But Bienville found that during Perier's unskilful ad- 
ministration a division had crept into the Choctaw nation. 
That English traders and emissaries, with liberal display of 
promises and presents, had secured a considerable party 
among them favorable to the English. While he prepared his 
armament against the Chickasaws he addressed himself to 
healing this division. He sent his Canadians among them 
again. Under their instigations many of the Choctaw vil- 
lages rose and killed the English staying there, and were fired 
into keeping a succession of war parties in the field against 
the Chickasaws, burning their corn fields, waylaying their 
hunting parties, and harassing them greatly. The same tac- 
tics were employed to induce the Indians along the Missis- 
sippi, to strike down from the north against the Chickasaws, 
who, between two fires, kept close in their territory, appeal- 
ing for help to the English. 

Bienville's plan of campaign was one in which he thought 
he had secured every possible means for success. It was to 



100 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

penetrate by the Tombigbee river into the Chickasaw coun- 
try, where he was to be joined by d'Artaguette (a young 
brother of Diron), commandant at the Illinois, with a force 
of three hundred good men. Orders were sent to d'Arta- 
guette fixing the place of meeting on the Tombigbee, four 
days' journey from the Chickasaws' villages ; the time, be- 
tween the loth and 15th of March. 

Bienville, the better to further his preparations, took up 
his position during the summer in Mobile, where, in a grand 
council, he exposed his plans to the Choctaw chiefs, and se- 
cured their willing co-operation in them. But the means of 
transportation, to be furnished by the middle of October, were 
not ready by the middle of January. A courier was des- 
patched to D'Artaguette, putting off his march until the 
middle of April. 

Finally, all was ready and a grand start made on the ist 
of April. The armament made a fine show on the Mobile, 
rowing up the river in the early morning sunlight ; thirty 
pirogues followed by thirty flat-boats loaded with five hun- 
dred soldiers, without counting the brilliant staff of officers 
and company of forty-five blacks commanded by free negroes. 

It took twenty-three days to get to the place of meeting on 
the Tombigbee. No trace of D'Artaguette was to be seen. 
The Choctaw chiefs arrived, however, and promised to meet 
the French, with all their warriors, in fourteen days, at the 
little creek, Ottibia, that separated the Choctaw and Chicka- 
saw territories. They arrived promptly at the time and 
place shortly after the French. 

After throwing up a fortification to protect their boats and 
provisions, and leaving a small garrison behind them, the 
army set out on the march to the Chickasaw country. It was 
a hard march, through deep ravines filled with water waist 
high, and across thick-grown canebrakes. But after this they 
came to a beautiful country easy of travel. Camp was pitched 
about six miles from the Chickasaw villages. The great chief 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 101 

of the Choctaws asked Bienville which village he intended 
attacking first. Bienville told him the Natchez, as they were 
the authors of the war. The great chief then explained that 
the first village was the nearest Chickasaw village to the 
Choctaws, and did them most harm, and that he would like 
to attack that first, particularly as it w^is filled with provi- 
sions which the Choctaws needed. Hardly doubting but that 
the Choctaws would return home after taking this first vil- 
lage, their habit being to fly after they had struck a blow, 
Bienville persuaded them to attack the Natchez village first, 
promising to return and take the other one afterwards. The 
Choctaws appeared satisfied, and their guides, leading the 
army as if to conduct it to the point agreed upon, came to a 
small prairie, where were three little villages placed trian- 
gularly on the crest of a ridge, at the foot of which flowed 
a brook almost dry. This little prairie was only separated 
by a small forest from the large prairie where lay most of the 
Chickasaw villages. Bienville defiled his army the length 
of the woods that skirted the prairie, and stopped on a slight 
eminence, where a halt was made for dinner. It was just 
past mid-day. 

The Choctaws, who had gained their point by a ruse and 
were before the village they desired, hastened to complete 
the trick by bringing on the action. With war cries and 
yells, they began skirmishing around the village, and drew 
its fires upon the French. The French officers then joined 
their demands to the Choctaws that this village should be 
at once taken. Pressed on all sides, Bienville ordered 
the attack. A company of grenadiers — a detachment from 
the French and Swiss troops — and forty-five volunteers under 
De Noyan, were commanded to lead it. 

From the height where the French were, four or five Eng- 
lishmen could be seen bustling around among the excited 
Chickasaws, and over one village floated the English 
flag. The French battalion moved out of the woods, 



X02 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

crossed the brook, and began to ascend the ridge. A mur- 
derous fire poured upon them simultaneously from the 
three villages. One of the negro mantelet bearers in front 
was killed. The rest threw down their mantelets and fled. 
The column of grenadiers, attaining the summit of the ridge 
and the entrance to the village, met the full fire of the hid- 
den batteries * about them. Two or three cabins were taken 
and burned ; but when it came to crossing, under fire, the 
open space between these and the next, the Chevalier De 
Noyan, looking about him, saw only a few officers, a rem- 
nant of grenadiers, and about a dozen volunteers. The other 
soldiers, hopeless at fighting an unseen enemy, were seeking 
shelter from the range of their loopholes behind the captured 
cabins, and refused to be driven out by their sergeants. 
Almost all the ofiicers were killed or disabled. De Noyan 
and four officers fell wounded at the same moment^ In vain 
he sent his aid to rally the soldiers ; the killing of the aid 
among them only added to their panic. He finally got a 
message to Bienville that unless assistance were sent, or a 
retreat sounded, not an ofiicer would be left alive. There was 
also a sudden alarm in the camp that a reinforcement from 
the Chickasaws of the great prairie was approaching. Bien- 
ville ordered the retreat, sending a company to protect it and 
fetch off the wounded. The officers, massed together, were 
found still fighting and holding their own. The Choctaws 
were under cover of the hill ; they had lost twenty-two men, 
which discouraged and disgusted them not a little. 

The night was passed in felling trees and making hasty de- 
fences against surprise, but the Chickasaws held themselves 
silent and secure in their strongholds. Bienville dared not 

* Bienville thus describes the Chickasaw stronghold: "After having surrounded 
" their cabins with several rows of great stockades filled with earth, they hollow out 
*' the inside until they can let themselves down into it shoulder deep, and shoot 
" through loopholes almost level with the ground; but they obtain still more ad- 
" vantage from the natural situation of their cabins, which are placed so that their 
" fires cross, than from all the arts of fortifying that the English can suggest. The 
" coverings of the cabins are a thatching of wood and mud, proof against nre-arrows 
" and grenades ; nothing but bombs could damage them.'^ 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 103 

renew the attack the next morning. Litters were made for 
the wounded, and the humiliated French colors led the way 
back to the Ottibia and embarked. The water was now so 
low that in many places a passage had to be cut for the 
boats. The Tombigbee was slowly reached, and finally the 
Mobile. From the Tohomes Bienville heard the first news 
of the full extent of" his disaster. 

The young commandant, d'Artaguette, had set out from 
the Illinois at the date first named, with one hundred and 
forty white men and two hundred and sixty Iroquois, Arkan- 
sas, Miamis and Illinois. Arrived at the place of meeting, 
his scouts could discover no signs or traces of Bienville's 
army. The next day, the courier who had been sent to the 
Illinois appeared with Bienville's letter and change of plan. 
D'Artaguette called his officers and Indian chiefs together in 
a council of war. They advised striking a blow immedi- 
ately. Pushing forward their march they arrived within a 
mile of the great Chickasaw prairie. It was Palm Sunday. 
The army left their baggage under a guard of thirty men 
and confidently took the road to the village. It was the road 
to certain death to all but two of them. Hardly had the attack 
on the village begun, when D'Artaguette saw a troop of 
from four to five hundred savages issue from behind the 
neighboring hill, and bear down upon him with such rapidity 
aud force that the Miamis and Illinois Indians, the greater 
part of his army, took to flight. He turned to gain the road 
to his baggage, to save or at least blow up his powder. 
Fighting desperately, step by step, he, his officers, men, and 
the Iroquois and Arkansas who stood by him, struggled a 
short space. Then the savages overwhelmed them. Nine- 
teen were taken alive, among them D'Artaguette, wounded 
in three places, and Father Senac, a Jesuit priest. 

An Avoyelle woman slave, who escaped from the Chlcka- 
saws to the Alabamas some time afterwards, related the fate 
of the prisoners. Two were put aside to exchange for a 



104 HTSTOT^Y OF T.OUISIANA. 

Chickasaw warrior in the hands of the French. The remain* 
ing were divided into two lots and burned in two huge fires 
prepared by the Chickasaw women. All died heroically, 
one Frenchman singing his death song to the last like an In- 
dian brave. 

Bienville never recovered from the pain and humiliation 
of this double defeat, and Diron D'Artaguette, maddened 
with grief at the loss of his young brother, changed from a 
trusty friend into a carping enemy of the governor. 

Chickasaw War. — Bienville returned to New Orleans, 
inflexibly determined to retrieve himself by another expedition 
against the Natchez — an expedition which must not only be a 
brilliant success, but a brilliant triumph. 

He wrote to France for artillery and bombs and soldiers, 
and to the governor of Canada for a reinforcement of volun- 
teers. He sent engineers to explore the best routes to the 
Chickasaws by the Mobile and Mississippi rivers, and he 
kept his coureurs de bois diligently employed in maintaining 
the French sentiment among his Indian allies. 

On the reports of the engineers the route by the Mississippi 
and Yazou rivers was selected, and the years 1738-1739 were 
consumed in building a fort and depots for provisions, at the 
mouth of the St. Francis river and another. Fort Assump- 
tion, on the opposite side of the Mississippi, at the mouth 
the Margot river, the meeting place for the whole army. 

Two hundred horses were sent from New Orleans for 
transportation of the provisions which were to be drawn from 
the abundant fields of the west. Beeves and oxen were 
ordered from the Natchitoches district. In the summer of 
1739, the assistance demanded from the home government 
arrived — arms, ammunition, provisions, with seven hundred 
soldiers — bombardiers, cannoneers, miners — under the Sieur 
de Noailles D'Aime, who was put in command of all the 
troops. 



FREXCH DOMINATION. IOr> 

But the new soldiers, on their arrival, suffered so severely 
from scurvy and fever that less than half were able to go on 
duty. Shipped from New Orleans as fast as possible, great 
numbers of them died on the way up the river. Bienville 
himself landed at Fort Assumption in November, with his 
colonial troops and Indians. He found the reinforcements 
from Canada and the Illinois waiting. They raised his army 
to the respectable strength of twelve hundred white men and 
two thousand four hundred savages. But it was one thing 
to get an army to the fort on the Margot, and another to get 
it into the Chickasaw country. The continual rains and the 
overflow made the routes laid out by the engineers imprac- 
ticable for the heavy wagons and artillery, while the bottom 
lands could only be crossed by boats or bridges. More than 
one-half of the live stock from Natchitoches perished in the 
woods before reaching the Arkansas. Three months passed 
and the situation did not improve. Without a road to the 
Chickasaws and without the means of transportation, the 
French army on the Mississippi saw itself threatened with a 
more inglorious fate than befell the one on the Tombigbee ; 
and the safety of the Chickasaws was more brilliantly proved 
than ever. A council of war was held to decide how to end 
the situation in the manner least mortifying to the French. 

The Chickasaws, on their side, were not indifferent to the 
tremendous preparations made against them. From the first 
they had dropped all around the neighborhood of the French 
camp, calumets and symbols of peace. On these hints, dis- 
dained at first, the French were now glad to act. But some 
warlike demonstration was necessary to satisfy the Indians, 
so five hundred of them, with one hundred Canadians, were 
permitted to go against the Chickasaw villages. With no 
hamperings but their light savage accoutrements, they made 
their way through the forest with ease and celerity. But the 
Chickasaws, thoroughly warned and on their guard, held 
themselves close in their strongholds, from which no demon- 



106 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

strations could entice them, save once or twice when they 
came out for a brief moment to display a white flag. After 
some days of skirmishing, negotiations were opened, and 
the Chickasaw chiefs persuaded to go to the French camp 
and ask for peace. They were cautioned, however, that they 
would not get it unless they consented to deliver up their 
Natchez refugees. The cunning savages, prepared for this 
condition, declared that although they had bound and im- 
prisoned their Natchez guests, in order to surrender them to 
the French, unfortunately some of their young men had re- 
leased them and all had escaped to the Cherokees except three. 

Under the circumstances, peace was soon agreed upon. 
The Chickasaws made no further excuse for or explanation of 
the escape of the Natchez ; and again the French were forced 
to submit to having them slip through their fingers. Bien- 
ville destroyed his buildings and returned with his army to 
New Orleans. 

There, oppressed with his sense of failure, and feeling his 
old reputation to be no longer the same in the colony, he 
wrote to the Minister of Marine, asking to be relieved of his 
office. 

1741. — While awaiting the minister's answer he applied 
himself with his characteristic care and solicitude to the 
needs of the colony. He vainly tried to get from the king 
the establishment of a college in New Orleans for the edu- 
cation of boys ; and also some relief for the suffering caused 
by the depreciation of paper money,* epidemic, overflows 
and short crops. 

* The financial affairs of the colony had been necessarily carried on larg-ely 
with paper money. During- the period of settlement royal warrants on the 
treasury in payment of salaries were used; during the Crozat charter, checks 
upon him had passed into current use. The card money of Canada, a most fluc- 
tuating medium, had always been in circulation, and finally the Company of the 
West had made an issue of paper for the payment of its debts. All these different 
issues appearing, and being retired, added to the arbitrary fixing of prices in the 
colony, and consequent speculation of money lenders, had produced financial chaos. 
Now, an edict of the royal government, withdrawing at short notice the paper 
of the Mississippi Company from circulation, threatened utter collapse and ruin. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 107 

A Charity Hospital. 1739. — An humble sailor, Jean 
Louis, dying in 1739, left his savings to found a hospital 
where the poor could be tended for charity. Bienville ap- 
plied the legacy, as directed ; bought a suitable piece of 
property, provided the beds and proper furniture, with medi- 
cal and nursing attendance, and so inaugurated the first 
charity hospital in the city.* 

The Minister of Marine granted Bienville's resignation and 
named the Marquis de Vaudreuil to succeed him. Pending 
the arrival of his successor Bienville endeavoured to arrange 
the affairs of the Indians, so that his absence from the colony 
would not injure it. He convened the prominent chiefs of 
the Alabama country at Mobile, made them presents, and 
had them sign treaties, which would pave the way for their 
good understanding with his successor. He left Louisiana 
forever on the loth of May 1743. -^^ came into the colony 
a youth, full of hope and courage ; he left it a prematurely 
aged man, worn with care, anxiety and disappointment. He 
had given forty-five years of unremitting toil to the task left 
him by Iberville. 

QUESTIONS. 

How did Louisiana once more become a royal province? Give an 
account of Bienville's interview with the Natchez at St. Domingo. 
What did he find out about the escaped Natchez? Of the division 
among the Choctaws? Of his tactics against the Chickasaws? Give 
an account of his expedition into the Chickasaw country; his defeat 
and the fate of D'Artaguette. How did Bienville prepare for his next 
expedition? Give an account of it. What did his sense of failure 
force him to do? What of his solicitation for the colony? Of the 
first charity hospital in New Orleans? Who was Bienville's suc- 
cessor? When did Bienville leave the colony forever? 

* It may be considered the parent of the present noble institution which com- 
mands the admiration not only of the State, but of the whole South. 



108 HKSTOUV OF T.OUrSIANA. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



The Marquis de Vaudreuil, Governor. 1743-1753. 

The Marquis de Vaudreuil was a Canadian and a son of a 
former governor of Canada. He came to Louisiana to find 
it suffering its penalty as a royal province of France. 

War* had been relighted in Europe between France and 
England, and in America the colonies of the two rival pow- 
ers, always glad of an excuse, sprang also eagerly to arms, 
and from Canada to New Orleans the rifle and the tomahawk 
were kept on the alert. The Chickasaws, who from the first 
had only made a pretence of observing the recent treaty, rose 
against the French more vindictively than ever. Traveling 
along the Mississippi became a perilous adventure, and 
life in the Mississippi settlements most insecure. Even the 
environs of New Orleans were not safe. The German 
coast was surprised and pillaged, many of its farmers killed, 
and its women and children taken prisoners, and every- 
where in the French lines sudden alarms would send the 
colonists, fleeing in terror-stricken bands, to the city or 
nearest garrison post. At Mobile the panic became so ex- 
treme that Vaudreuil had to remain there with troops for 
awhile to restore calm. Reinforcements arriving from 
France, he was able to station garrisons at the various threat- 
ened points. To protect the city from an attack by the Eng- 
lish, he erected batteries on each bank of the river at English 
Turn. He also led an army against the Chickasaws, but he 
was no more successful than his predecessors had beeil^ The 
savages, resorting to their former triumphant tactics, shut 
themselves in their forts and defied him and his army. 

More alarming to the colonists than the hostilities of the 
Chickasaws, even, was the increasing division among the 

♦Called the war of the Austrian Succession, 1740, over the succession of Maria 
Theresa, of Austria, to the throne of her father, 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 109 

Choctaws, who now, instead of using their strength in de- 
fending the French against the English, were consuming it 
in domestic strife and civil warfare. 

In 1 75 1 the mother country sent her last ship load of emi- 
grants to her daughter colony, and her last donation of mar- 
riageable girls, sixty in number, to be wives for deserving 
bachelors. 

To encourage agriculture, the king promised to buy all 
the tobacco raised in the colony. 

Sugar Cane. — Besides tobacco and indigo another com- 
modity had been added to the agricultural products and 
profits of the soil. The Jesuits of Hispaniola obtaining per- 
mission to send sugar cane and some negroes acquainted with 
its culture to their brethren in Louisiana, these put a portion 
of their plantation in it. 

Levees. — As the settlements above and below the city were 
now in a flourishing state of cultivation, the question of 
levees began to be an important one. De Vaudreuil issued 
the first levee ordinance in the State, requiring the inhab- 
itants to keep up the levees before their property, on pain of 
having it confiscated. He also issued the first police regula- 
tions in the city of New Orleans, restricting the number of 
drinking saloons, the sale of liquors, and adjusting the civic 
relations of negroes. 

In 1753 the Marquis de Vaudreuil was promoted to the 
governorship of Canada and left Louisiana.* 

M. de Kerlerec was appointed to succeed him. 

De Kerlerec. 1753-1763. — De Kerlerec was an officer of 
the royal navy, in which he had served for twenty-five years. 

* During the last year of De Vaudreuil's governmenl the following- incident 
occurred which has been made the subject of a drama by a French officer, Le Blanc 
de Villeneuve, stationed in the colony at the time. 

A Choctaw and a CoUapissa had a quarrel, in which thejlatter killed the former 
and fled to New Orleans, The relatives of the Choctaw came to the city to demand 
the CoUapissa from de Vaudreuil. The Marquis, after trying in vain lo pacify the 
Choctaws, was obliged to order the-arrest of the murderer ; but he made his escape. 
His father went to the Choctaws and offered his life in atonement for the crime of 
his son. They accepted. The old man stretched himself on the trunk of a fallen 
tree, and a Choctaw at one stroke cut his head from his body. 



110 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Like his predecessor, he was to conduct his administration 
under the shadow of war. 

Seven Years' War. 1757-1763. — It was no mere ques- 
tion of succession to distant thrones that was this time to 
wet the soil of America with the blood of her colonists. 
The dispute was native to the country and one which had 
been growing since its first settlement. The time had come 
when it had to be decided to which of the European powers 
America was to belong; whether its future development was 
to be according to the religion and thought of the Anglo- 
Saxon or of the Latin race ; whether the Lilies of France 
or the Cross of England should recede. 

The rival colonists had clashed over every boundary line, 
and fought over every advanced post in the continent. As 
we have seen, the policy of France was to unite Canada 
and New Orleans by a chain of fortified posts, which 
should insure her the possession of the great waterways of 
the continent, and crowd England between the Alleghanies 
and the Atlantic coast. Midway between Canada and 
Louisiana lay the valley of the Ohio. Should the English 
gain possession of it, they would cut in two the French line 
of fortifications and sever the territory of Louisiana. The 
English had already sent out from Virginia and established 
trading posts along the branches of the Ohio, and their trad- 
ers were deftly winning the Indians into allies. The 
French, quicker in action than their rivals, descending through 
Lake Erie, drove the English away and built three forts 
to guard their position. One of them, Fort Duquesne,* 

* An interesting- episode connects Louisiana with Fort Duquesne. Georg-e 
Washinj^ton, then a colonel in the British army, was sent by Governor Dinwiddie, 
of Virginia, against the fort. On the route he heard of a French detachment com- 
ing to surprise him. He manoeuvred to surprise it, and in the engagement J um on ville, 
the ensign in command, was killed. Jumonville de Villiers (the ancestor of one 
of our distinguished creole families), the brother of the ensign, obtained permission 
of Kerlerec to leave his station at Fort Chartres and go to avenge his brother's 
death. He hastened to Fort Duquesne with a large force of Indians and soldiers. 
Washington, with his men, lay entrenched in a rude fortification called Fort Ne- 
cessity, not far from the scene of his first engagement. Jumonville attacked him, 
and, after a sharp fight,',had the honor of forcing the future "Father of his country" 
into surrender. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. Ill 

on the forks of the Monongahela and the Alleghany rivers 
(site of the present city of Pittsburg), commanding the key 
of the situation, became the first objective point in the mo- 
mentous conflict. 

Although the seat of war was in the far north, Louis- 
iana suffered her measure of damage from it. Her ships of 
supplies from France and the islands were intercepted and 
captured by vigilant British privateers. Her commerce was 
crippled and almost destroyed. The home government, 
burthened with the expenses and necessities of the war in Can- 
ada, could neither renew the supplies nor protect the com- 
merce. The yearly tribute of presents to the various Indian 
tribes had to be suspended, and this sent the discontented 
warriors into trading and treating with the English. The 
poorly clad, poorly nourished and ill paid soldiers also de- 
serted in large numbers from their different garrisons to the 
ever convenient English.* 

Kerlerec put the colony into the best state of defence pos- 
sible with his inadequate means. His only reliance was 
upon the Swiss mercenaries, and these he distributed among 
the untrustworthy French soldiers in the different posts 
throughout the Mississippi and Alabama country. 

City Defences. — A fortification consisting of a palisade 
wall was made around the city. The batteries at English 
Turn were repaired and resupplied, and a vessel was stationed 
at the mouth of the river, to be sunk in the pass in case of 
emergency. 

From time to time the news of the fortunes of the distant 
hostilities drifted into the colony. Early in 1759 there came 
floating down the river boats containing the garrison and 
officers of Fort Duquesne, which, after much gallant fight- 

*In the summer of 1754, four of the soldiers of the garrison of Cat Island rose 
and murdered their officer, who ill treated them. They tried to escape to Georgia, 
but a party of Choctaws sent after them captured them. One killed himself. The 
rest were brought to New Orleans. Two were broken on the wheel ; the other, be- 
longing to a Swiss company, was, according to the law of Swiss troops, nailed into 
a coffin, which was sawed in two through the middle. 



112 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

ing on both sides, was evacuated and abandoned by the 
French. The news of the fall of Quebec and Montreal fol- 
lowed in due time, and eventually that of the complete tri- 
umph of the English over the French. The Lilies of France 
had been beaten out of her northern possessions by the Cross 
of England. 

Treaty of Paris. 1763. — By this treaty between England, 
France and Spain, France signed her defeat and made over 
to Great Britain all her territory on the North American con- 
tinent, east of the Mississippi, with the exception of New 
Orleans, and the adjacent district called the Island of 
Orleans, lying between Manchac and the Lakes. 

Spain received back Havana, which had been captured by 
the English, but paid for it by the cession of Florida, and 
all her possessions east of the Mississippi. 

Louisiana Ceded to Spain. — On the same day, the loth 
of February, by a secret treaty, France voluntarily divesting 
herself of the last vestige of the princely legacy left her by 
Marquette, Joliet, La Salle and Iberville, secretly ceded to 
Spain the one remaining bit of territory she still possessed in 
America: New Orleans, the mouth of the Mississippi, and 
all her lands lying to the west of the Mississppi. 

During Kerlerec's administration, discord both civil and 
ecclesiastical was rife in the city. Violent quarrels broke 
out between the Capuchin priests, who had titular spiritual 
charge of the colony, and the Jesuits, who, though only 
tolerated as visitors, had managed to gain a large following, 
to the weakening of the influence of the Capuchins. The 
vSuperior Council was invoked by the Capuchins to interfere 
and prohibit this usurpation, as they called it, of the Jesuits. 

A still more violent quarrel broke out between the; 
governor and the royal commissary, Rochemore. On charges 
of the latter, an investigation was ordered into Kerlerec's 
administration. The report being against him, Kerlerec was 
recalled to France and thrown into the Bastile. 



FIIEXCH DOMINATION. 113 



/ 



A stride in advance in the sugar culture has to be chron- 
icled during this administration. The experiment of the 
Jesuits having proved successful, the Sieur Dubreuil put his 
whole plantation in cane, and erected a mill and made an 
experiment at boiling the juice.* / 

Abadie Governor. 1763. — The chief magistracy of the 
province was vested in M. d'Abadie, under the title of 
Director General. The military force was reduced to three 
hundred men, under the orders of Aubry, as senior captain. 
The cession being, however, still a secret, Louisiana ap. 
peared as before, a French province to her colonies and the 
country at large. 

British Take Possession. — The Spaniards retired from 
Florida; and from post after post in the Illinois, Alabama 
and Mississippi regions, the French flag and garrison were 
withdrawn, to be replaced by the British. French and Span- 
ish names were changed for English ones : Fort St. George 
at Pensacola ; Fort Charlotte at Mobile ; Fort Fanmure at 
Natchez, etc. The transfer of authorities was made amica- 
bly and expeditiously. The Indian allies of the French made 
here and there a few attempts at guerilla warfare against 
their new masters ; but the French interposing peaceably, 
most of them ended by following the French flag in its re- 
treat and settling around New Orleans. 

In a few months English vessels traveling up and down 
the Mississippi became a familiar sight. They became also 
a welcome one, for, fetching in articles of commerce of which 
the colonists had been so long deprived by the war, they ac- 
quired a thriving though illicit trade all along the coast. 
Tying their boats to a tree a short distance above New Or- 
leans, they attracted customers even from the city.f 

* The sugar was so badly made, however, that it leaked out of the hogshead on 
its way to F"rance ; and the ship was so lightened that it came near upsetting. 

t As it was under the pretext of going to Manchac, where they were building a 
fort — Fort Bate — that the English vessels traveled up the river, the place where they 
tied up for the contraband trade was called " L.ittle Manchac," "I am going to 
Little Manchac" was the current expression for a shopping excursion to this con- 



114 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Jesuits Expelled. 1763. — In obedience to the decree of 
Pope Clement XIII, expelling the Jesuits from the dominions 
of the kings of France, Spain and Naples, Abadie was 
forced to expel them from Louisiana. All their property, 
including their fine plantation, was sold at auction, and the 
Fathers made to leave the colony in which, in truth, they had 
done all to benefit and nothing to injure. 

Cession to Spain Made Known. 1764. — In the month of 
October, 1764, Governor Abadie received from his sovereign. 
Louis XV, the communication which made him acquainted 
with the cession of Louisiana to Charles III, King of Spain. 
He was ordered to remit the government to the officer or 
envoy sent by the King of Spain to receive it, evacuate the 
territory and retire to France with all his officers and all the 
soldiers who did not wish to engage in the service of Spain. 

The publication of this communication threw the colony 
into the greatest grief and consternation. They had been 
forced to submit to the triumph of the English flag, and the 
loss to England of all the magnificent country bought with 
two centuries of their blood and labor ; but that was accord- 
ing to the fortunes of war. Now they were called upon to 
yield the one last corner of the continent over which the 
French flag floated and see themselves and the great mouth 
of the Mississippi tossed like a trifle to a nation who had 
never lifted a finger for them, a nation too insignificant as a : 
foe to be much esteemed as a friend. j 

M. d'Abadie died in 1765, and thus could not carry out 
his instructions. The government was put in to the hands of 
Aubry, the commander of the royal troops. 

The Acadians. 1765* — Before the feelings of the colonists 
had time to calm, there arrived in their midst a band of 

traband depot. D'Abadie, seeing the necessities of the colonists, closed his eyes 
to the custom. 

* Acadia, or Nova Scotia, as it is now called, had been conquered from France 
by the English, and transferred to the British crown, by the treaty of Utrecht, in 
1713. It was stipulated that those of the French who chose to remain in the 
country as subjects to the King of England should enjoy free exercise of their reli- 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 115 

compatriots whose unhappy fate seemed to foretell their own. 
On the open levee, in front of New Orleans, the pilgrims 
from Acadia landed and told their sad story — a story 
which has found worthy immortality in versef Their 
country also had been ceded away; their homes, their 
churches, their allegiance. 

The citizens greeted them with tender and generous hos- 
pitality, furnishing them food, clothing, lodging and sympa- 
thy. Aubry gave them land, settling them on the river bank 
above the German coast, at what is still known as the 
Acadian coast ; also in the Attakapas and Opelousas dis- 
tricts, where their descendants live to this day; a worthy, in- 
dustrious and frugal population, retaining, even in the wealth 
and official distinction that many have attained, the primitive 
faith and simplicity of their early history. 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was the Marquis de Vaudreuil? What of the war declared in 
Europe? Give account of colony and city under De Vaudreuil? 
Who succeeded to De Vaudreuil? Give an account of the Seven 
Years' War. Kerlerec's defences. The treaty of Paris. British pos- 
session of the country. Expulsion of the Jesuits When was the 
cession to Spain made known? What of its effect on the colonv? 
Who succeeded to Abadie? Who were the Acadians? 

gion ; the rest were allowed to remove within a year. Very few withdrew Bleak 
and bare as their country was, they loved it with all the blind devotion of the simple, 
ignorant peasant. But it was years before they could bring- themselves to take the 
oath of allegiance demanded by the English. They hoped against hope, that some- 
thing would come to pass to prevent their utter disseverment from their nation and 
church. The English accused the Roman priests of fomenting discord, and 
they suspected the Acadians of inviting Indian inroads, A new and still more 
binding oath was drawn up, but its imposition on the Acadians was a task fraught 
with pain and trouble. For fifty years the process of reconstruction was maintained 
by tlie British and resisted by the Acadian. It was then determined by the conquer- 
ors that all who refused to take the oath should be exported from the country The 
whole number removed was over six thousand. Then deserted dwellings and build- 
ings were burned. The wretched people, distributed among the British colonies 
from Massachusetts to Georgia, among a people speaking a different language and 
professing a different religion, hud a sad lot. After hardships and vicissitudes of all 
kinds many of them wandered back to Canada, and many banded together to jour- 
ney to Louisiana, where they might once again rest under the flag of their mother 
country, hear the language of their ancestors, and pray at the altars to which they 
were accustomed. 

t Evangeline, Longfellow. 



116 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

CHAPTER XVII. 
RESISTANCE TO SPANISH DOMINATION. 

The Louisianans were not to be ceded away from their 
country and flag without a protest. Public sentiment ripened 
into action. Each parish throughout the colony was re- 
quested to send delegates to a meeting to be held in New 
Orleans. The parishes responding with their best and most 
notable citizens, a large and impressive assembly met. 
The attorney general, Lafreniere, opened proceedings with 
an energetic and eloquent speech, proposing a resolution in 
which the colonists of Louisiana en masse supplicated the 
King of France not to sever them from their country * The 
resolution passed unanimously, and Jean Milhet, one of the 
richest and most influential merchants of New Orleans, was 
deputed to carry it to France and lay it at the foot of the 
throne. 

Milhet departed on the first vessel. In Paris he sought 
out Bienville, now a white-haired patriarch eighty-six years 
of age. Together, they went with the memorial to the Prime 
Minister, De Choiseul, whom they asked to present them to 
the king. But as De Choiseul had been the counsellor of the 
cession of Louisiana, he was not in the mind to further any 
remonstrance against it. He received the deputies with 
civility and listened to them with patience, but he so artfully 
thwarted their designs that Milhet was never able to present 
his paper. 

Over a year passed after the official news of the cession 
and the meeting; Milhet did not return from France, and no 
Spanish envoy presented himself to take possession of the 

* The following- are the names of those who were foremost in the first political 
convention held in Louisiana: Lafreniere. Doucet. St, Lette Pin. Villere, the 
chevalier d'Arensbourg, Jean Milhet, Joseph Milhet, St. Maxent, De la Chaise, 
Marquis, Garic, Masson, Masange, Poupet, Noyon, Boisblanc, Grandmaison, 
Lallande, Lesassier, Braud (royal printer) Kernion, Carrere, Dessales, etc. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 117 

colony. To all appearances either the King of Spain or the 
King of France was hesitating about it. The colonists there- 
fore rebounded from their first feeling to hope and courage. 

Ulloa. 1766. — Suddenly the bright horizon darkened. A 
letter came to the Superior Council in July, 1766, from Don 
Antonio de Ulloa, announcing his arrival in Havana on his 
way to take possession of Louisiana, of which he had been 
appointed governor. He did not reach the colony, however, 
until the following spring. He was accompanied by two 
companies of infantry, a commissary of war, De Loyola ; 
an intendant, Navarro ; and a royal comptroller, Gayarre. 
They met a respectful but cold reception from the citizens. 

Requested by the Superior Council to present his creden- 
tials, Ulloa refused, saying that he did not wish to take pos- 
session until the arrival of the rest of the Spanish troops, 
adding that he had nothing to do with the Superior Council, 
which was a civil tribunal, and that in taking possession he 
only recognized Aubry as competent to treat with him. 

The colonists fell again into despair over their situation. 
Instead of mitigating it by his personal influence, Ulloa only 
rendered it worse, and the prospect of submission to him be- 
came unendurable. Although a distinguished man of science 
and letters, he was most unattractive and impolitic. Cold, 
haughty, reserved and dictatorial, he was in every respect a 
painful contrast to the people whom he was sent to govern; 
and, restricting his intercourse entirely to the military gov- 
ernor, Aubry, he ignored the colonists in a manner most ex- 
asperating to the independent, free-spoken Creoles. 

He offered to take the French soldiers into the service of 
Spain, but they refused to change their allegiance. The 
Spanish soldiers were lodged, therefore, apart from them, 
and Aubry was forced to garrison the city with his troops 
and still to act the part of governor. In reality he was only 
the mouthpiece and deputy of Ulloa, who assumed surrep- 
titiously all the rights of his unacknowledged official position. 



118 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

He had a census of the inhabitants taken, made a tour of 
inspection of the different military establishments in the 
province, and as Aubry had received no money from France 
to pay French soldiers or to carry on the government, he ad- 
vanced him the funds to do so. He issued various ordinances 
and decrees, one of them forbidding trading vessels entering 
the port without previously submitting to him the estimate 
and price of their cargoes, and restricting all trade to six 
Spanish ports and to vessels commanded by Spaniards. 
Vessels sailing to or from Louisiana were even prohibited 
from entering any Spanish port in America, except in case 
of distress, and then had to submit to strict examination and 
heavy charges. 

What the people of Louisiana most dreaded in the trans- 
fer to Spain was the application to them of the narrow- 
minded, arbitrary decrees of trade of the Spanish colonies, 
which would ruin their commerce to the profit of the com- 
merce of Spanish ports. This decree of Ulloa was the real- 
ization of their worst fears. Commercial ruin stared them 
in the face. 

The merchants, in a body, presented a petition* to the 
Superior Council, signed by names that are still distinguished 
in Louisiana, begging a suspension of the decree until they 
could be heard on the subject. The ship captains also pre- 
sented a similar petition. 

Ulloa meanwhile descended the river to the Balize, and re- 
mained there seven months, awaiting the arrival of the wealthy 
lady from Peru whom he was to marry. Aubry made peri- 

* The merchants who siafned the petition ag-ainst the decree to the Superior 
Council, were: Joseph Milhet, Rose, Cantrelle D. Braud, J. Mercier, L. Ducrest, 
Petit, Duforest, Toutant Beanregard, L. Boisdore, B, Duplessis, Bracquier, P. O. 
Caresse, J. Vicnne. P. Scgond, Voix, Durel, Blache,M. Poupetjr., Poupet, Estebe. 
Rodrigue, J. Sauvestre, G. Gardelle, Ducarpe, F. Durand, J. and N. Boudet. Riv- 
oire, Klacuenara, F. Denis, J. Arnoult, A. Renard, P, Senilh, A. Bodaille, Laulhe, 
Dubouri,^, Festas, Frig-iere, Kanson, Fournier, St. Pe, Detour, Villefranche Salo- 
mon, Delassize Blaignat, Langlois, Fortier, Lafitte, Henard, Estady, Astier, 
Brunet, Bienvenue, Sarpv, Doraison, Cavelier, Papion, Gaurrege, Revoil, Gnezille, 
Guignan, St. Anne, Moullineau, P. Hery, A. Ollivier, Broussard, Dumas, Gnieu- 
mard. Chateau, Simon, Ungues, Sarrou, Raguet, Nicolet,Brion, Betremleux, Blan- 
din, Dutertre, Bijon, D'hubeck, Dralde, Bonnemaison, Joli, Forstal, L'Enfant. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 119 

Ddical visits to him ; during one of which he made a private 
ict of possession in favor of Ulloa and had the French flag 
'epiaced by that of Spain. Relieved from the presence of 
Jlloa and still awaiting the result of Milhet's mission the 
:olonists began again to indulge their patriotic dreams. 

Milhet returned from France ; instead of the good news 
ixpected, he brought the report of total failure. In- 
lignation succeeded to disappointment. Throwing off all 
concealment, the colonists voiced their hatred of Spain and 
Jlloa, and their loathing of the yoke about to be put upon 
hem. Calm was completely destroyed. From one end of 
he colony to the other the wildest excitement prevailed. 
VIeetings were held in which heated addresses increased still 
nore the violence of feeling. Finally the country was again 
nvited to send delegates to another grand meeting to be held 
n the capital. 

As before, Lafreniere took an important part and made 
m impassioned speech. He was ably sustained by the two 
)rothers Milhet, and by Doucet, a lawyer lately arrived 
rom France. The proceedings terminated by an address to 
he Superior Council, calling upon it to declare Ulloa re- 
ractory and usurpatory, for having raised the Spanish flag 
n several places in the colony without having exhibited and 
egistered his authority at the Superior Council or in such a 
nanner that the citizens could see them; for having on his 
^wn private authority and without reason detained captains 
md their ships in port ; for having put French citizens under 
irrest on board the Spanish frigate ; and for having held coun- 
:ils with Spanish officers in which decrees of arrest had been 
-endered against French citizens ; the citizens therefore 
grayed the Superior Council to order Ulloa out of the colony, 
rhe paper was signed by five hundred and fifty respectable 
lames. It was ordered printed by the royal commissary and 
:irculated in every parish. After the address was read to the 
:ouncil and handed to a committee for consideration, the 



120 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

attorney general * submitted a brief in which the duties of 
councils and parliaments to the people were explained and 
the legal points bearing upon the competency of the Royal 
Superior Council to act in the premises exposed. 

On the 29th of October the petition was taken up by the 
council, and after some debate a decree was passed order- 
ing Ulloa to produce his powers from the King of Spain, if he 
had any, that they might be recorded on its minutes or to 
depart within a month. Ulloa accepted the last alternative, 
and on the following afternoon embarked with all his house- 
hold on a frigate then at the levee. Aubry with a detail of 
soldiers escorting him and leaving a guard on the vessel. 

Expulsion of Ulloa. — At daylight the next morning a 
crowd of revelers, who had passed the night at a wedding 
feast, appeared on the levee shouting, and singing patriotic 
songs. The frigate, containing the hated Spaniard and his 
equally hated wife, lay before them in the gray dawn. They 
could not resist the temptation ; one of them cut its ropes, 
and with delight the crowd watched the vessel move from its 
moorings, yield to the current and drift away from the city. 

A few days afterwards a memorial or manifesto, explain- 
ing and justifying the expulsion, was printed and dissemi- 
nated. The Superior Council despatched one of its members, 
Mr. Lesassier, with a copy of the decree and an explanatory 
letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in France, The^ 
citizens sent another address to the king voicing their senti- 
ments against Ulloa, and praying to be allowed to remain 
Frenchmen, and Aubry, who had protested against the ex- 
pulsion, also wrote his account of the affair, reiterating what 

* Lafreniere in his speech referred to the successful opposition of the British 
American colonies to the Stamp Act, and dre^v the attention of the council to the; 
noble conduct ot the people of Burgundy in 1526, when summoned by Launoy, the 
viceroy of Naples, to recognize as their sovereign the emperor Charles V, to whom 
Francis II had ceded the province by the treaty of Madrid. The States and courts 
of justice being convened to deliberate on the emperor's message, they unani- 
mously answered that the province was a part of the French monarchy and that the 
king had not the power of alienating it. The nobles resolutely declared that if 
the king abandoned them they would resort to arms and the last drop of their bloodi 
would be spilt in defence of their country. 



FRENCH DOMINATION. 121 

he had written shortly after the arrival of Ulloa, that notwith- 
standing the Spaniard's reputation in all the academies of 
Europe, he was not the proper man to govern the colony, 
not having the qualities requisite to command Frenchmen. 
Instead of gaining the hearts of the people, he had done 
everything to alienate them. He seemed to despise the 
colony and particularly the Superior Council, and by his m- 
discreet conduct had rendered the Spanish domination 
dreaded, uttering threats which menaced a horrible tyranny 
in the future. Aubry also described the great distress finan- 
cial and commercial, since the advent of Ulloa, the depression 
of all values and the decrease of population. 

Ulloa from Havana sent to his goverernment a report 
of the insult to his king and to himself. He passed in re- 
view by name the men who had taken a prominent part in 
the rebellion, as he called it. He described them as extrava- 
gant and overwhelmed with debts and only seeking in revo- 
lution an escape from their responsibilities. All, he said, 
were children of Canadians, who had come to Louisiana 
axe on shoulder, to live by the work of their hands. 

The momentary calm that follows the storm fell over 
Louisiana and the Louisianians. During the interval between 
the sending of their communication to their government in 
France and getting an answer, there was much discussion 
and speculation about future events. There was some 
thought of casting off all monarchical allegiance, and erect- 
ing Louisiana into a republic, to be placed under the protec- 
tion of England. An emissary was sent to the English gov- 
ernor at Pensacola to know what support could be gained 
from Florida in this event. The English official returned an 
unfavorable answer, and, it is said, transmitted the message 
he had received to Aubry, who, in his turn, delivered it to the 
Spanish government. 

O'Reilly. ' 1769. — Like a thunderclap, six months after- 
wards, came the announcement from the commandant at Balize 



122 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

of the arrival of Count O'Reilly, lieutenant general of the 
armies of Spain, with a formidable number of ships and 
troops. The news was enough to chill the colonists with fear. 
The pitiless, bloody record of Spain as an avenger in the past 
arose before them, with the vision of their own defenceless 
position. The leaders of the Spanish opposition hastened to 
Aubry, in despair at what they had brought upon the colony. 
The French general reassured them. As no blood had been 
shed in the expulsion of Ulloa, he thought that a prompt sub- 
mission would be accepted as sufficient atonement for the 
past. He sent an officer to tranquilize the inhabitants along 
the coast and warn them to keep quiet. 

That evening a Spanish officer arrived with dispatches from 
O'Reilly, stating that he had come to take possession of the 
country for the King of Spain and would exhibit his creden- 
tials at his first interview with Aubry. The next day Aubry 
assembled the citizens and made them an address announcing 
the arrival of the Spanish envoy ; counseling submission and 
obedience, and taking upon himself to assure them that if 
they followed his advice they could have full confidence in 
the clemency ot the King of Spain. 

Lafreniere, with the two Milhets and Marquis, offered to 
go personally to O'Reilly to present their submission and the 
submission of the citizens. Aubry gave them a letter of in- 
troduction, and O'Reilly received them courteously. La- 
freniere introduced himself and companions as delegates 
from the people, charged to make profession of submission 
and respect to the King of Spain. Throwing the blame of 
what had occurred on the illegal conduct of UUoa, he pro- 
tested that the credentials which O'Reilly brought were 
more authoritative to the colony than the army under his 
command; but the colony implored his benevolence for such 
privileges of time as would be needed by those who should 
wish to emigrate from it. O'Reilly responded kindly that 
it was not possible for him to come to any decision until he 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 123 

had examined all the facts of the case on the spot ; that the 
colonists could be assured that no one loved to do good more 
than he, and that it would plunge him into despair to cause 
the smallest injury to any one. He begged the colonists to 
be tranquil, and trust to his good sentiments toward them. 
He mentioned the word sedition ; Marquis interrupted him 
and explained that that word was not applicable to the colo- 
nists. O'Reilly kept the party to dinner, treated them with 
all courtesy, and sent them away full of hope in regard to the 
past. Their report of the interview calmed the agitation 
in the city, which sank into much needed repose and peace. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of opposition to Spanish domination. Arrival of 
UUoa. Refusal to exhibit his credentials. Expulsion. Their com- 
munication to the home government. Further proceedings of the 
colonists. O'Reilly's arrival. 



SPilNISH DOMINATION. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
O'REILLY TAKES POSSESSION. 

On the night of August 17, 1769, the Spanish frigate, 
followed by twenty-three other vessels, sailed up the river 
and anchored in front of the city. 

At mid-day of the iSth Aubry had the general alarm 
beaten. The troops and militia marched out and formed, 
facing the vessels, on one side of the Place d'Armes. General 
O'Reilly landed, and three thousand soldiers filing after 
him formed on the other three sides of the open space. 



124 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



O'Reilly, advancing to Aubry, presented his credentials 
from the King of Spain and his orders to receive the province. 
The papers were read aloud to the assembled citizens. Au- 
bry made a proclamation relieving the colonists from their 
allegiance to France, and delivered the keys of the city to 
O'Reilly. The vessels discharged their guns, the soldiers 
fired salvos of musketry and shouted. The Spanish flag 
was raised on all public buildings, the French flag lowered. 
Spanish guards relieved the French guards. A Te Deum 
was then celebrated at the church, and the ceremonies termi- 
nated by a grand parade of the Spanish military, who, with 
their discipline and finished equipments, presented a truly 
awe-inspiring appearance to the colonists. 

O'Reilly took up his residence in one of the handsomest 
houses in the city and assumed a mode of life more regal and 

stately than the' people had ever 
seen from their governors. In the 
largest apartment of his hotel a 
kind of throne was placed under a 
canopy, and here, like a mimic 
king, he gave audiences and held 
receptions. The colonists, faithful 
to their professions, came in num- 
bers to pay their respects. They 
were accompanied by their wives 
and daughters, who, with their per- 
sonal attractiveness and handsome 
toilettes, endeavored to throw the 
graceful charm of society over the grim and sombre state 
of a military ceremony. 

The Spaniard maintained a graciousness of demeanor 
which exceeded even the most sanguine expectations. He 
had written, however, privately to Aubry, demanding full 
and entire information respecting the expulsion of Ulloa, 
with the literal citation of all orders, protestations, and pub- 




O'REILLY, 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 125 

lie and private documents relating thereto, and particularly 
the names of the persons who wrote and published the 
decree of the council ordering the expulsion and the man- 
ifesto succeeding it. 

Aubry, accepting the role of informer, furnished not only 
all that was officially required, but such gratuitous personal 
evidence as would make him agreeable to the Spaniards. 
Masan, Chevalier of St. Louis; Foucault, the commissary; 
Marquis, ex-captain of a Swiss company; the two De 
Noyans, nephews of Bienville ; and Villere, were named as 
the richest and most distinguished citizens who had taken 
part in the Spanish expulsion. All the documents with sig- 
natures attached, and the manifesto with Brand's stamp as 
printer, were put into O'Reilly's hands. 

Upon different pretexts, O'Reilly secured the attendance 
of Lafreniere, the two De Noyans, the Milhets and Bois- 
blanc on the same day at his levee. He received them with 
more than his usual courtesy, and suavely begged them to 
pass into the next room with him. They, unhesitatingly 
complying, walked into the apartment, to be surrounded 
by Spanish grenadiers with fixed bayonets. Then throw- 
ing off his mask, O'Reilly denounced his guests as rebels to 
the King of Spain, informing them that they were prisoners 
of state and their property and fortunes confiscated. The 
gentlemen, then under strong guard, were conveyed to the 
places which had been selected for their imprisonment ; some 
to the barracks, some to the frigate in the river, and some 
to their houses, where a guard was stationed. 

Villere, who had been marked also for arrest, was on his 
plantation on the German coast. On the news of O'Reilly's 
arrival he had intended to put himself and family under the 
protection of the British flag at Manchac, when he received a 
letter from Aubry assuring him that he had nothing to appre- 
hend, and advising him, on the contrary, to come to the city. 
As flight seemed to imply a consciousness of guilt, this advice 



126 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

was more congenial to Viller^'s character. He set out at 
once for New Orleans. At the city gate he was stopped and 
carried a prisoner aboard the frigate. Madame Villere, 
hearing of her husband's arrest, hastened also to the city, and 
taking a boat had herself rowed to the frigate. She was 
ordered away. Villere, hearing the supplicating voice of his 
wife, made an effort to get on deck to see her. The sentinel 
opposed him. There was a struggle, and the gallant Creole 
fell, transfixed with a bayonet. He died shortly afterwards. 

Trial of the Patriots. — O'Reilly confided the trial of the 
prisoners to his own officials, who made all the examina- 
tions, records of testimony, etc., necessary for a prosecution 
for treason according to Spanish criminal law. 

Foucault pleaded that as he was royal commissary of the 
King of France, he was accountable only to him. The plea 
was sustained. Brand pleaded that he had only printed the 
manifesto on order of Foucault, which, as royal printer of 
Louisiana, he was bound to respect. He was released The 
other prisoners confined their defence to a denial of the juris- 
diction of the tribunal before which they were arraigned. 
They claimed that the offences with which they were charged 
took place while the flag of France was waving over them 
and the laws of that kingdom were still in force in the colony, 
and that as the people of Louisiana could not wear the yoke of 
two kings at once, they could not at the same time, offend 
against the laws of two kingdoms. O'Reilly had decided 
from the first, for an example, to proceed with the utmost 
rigor of the law against six of the prisoners, and as the law 
authorized a less severe punishment than death unless the 
charge was proved by two witnesses, the trial in reality was 
merely to separate those who were to lose life and property 
from those who were to lose liberty and property, and as 
there was no defence made, the accusation meant condem- 
nation. The sentence condemned Nicolas Chauvin De 
Lafreniere, Jean Baptiste, Bienville, De Noyan. Pierre 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 127 

Caresse, Pierre Marquis and Joseph Milhet to death. They 
were to be conducted to the place of execution on asses, 
with ropes around their necks ; to be hung, and to remain 
hanging until O'Reilly ordered otherwise. Warning was 
issued against any one's rescuing the bodies or in any way 
frustrating the execution of the sentence on pain of death. 
As Villere had already met his punishment, all that Span- 
nish authority could do was to condemn his memory as in- 
famous. Petit was sentenced to prison for life ; Masan and 
Doucet for ten, and Boisblanc, Milhet and Poupet for six 
years. All copies of the manifesto and all papers relating 
to the event were to be burned in the public place by the 
hangman. 

Execution of the Sentence. September 28, 1769. — 

As there was no hangman* in the colony, O'Reilly was pre- 
vailed upon to commute the sentence to death by shooting. 
On the morning of the fatal day the guards were doubled at 
every gate and station of the city. All the troops were put 
under arms and were kept prepared for action along the 
levee and on the public square. Those of the citizens who 
could, fled into the country. Doors and windows were 
barred ; all sign and sound of life suppressed. At 3 o'clock 
the patriots were led out of their prison to the square in 
front of the barracks. They were tied to stakes and received 
their death with the calm firmness of the innocent and of the 
brave. 

O'Reilly Governor. 1769. — In the cession of the colony, 
Louis XV had expressed the hope that justice should be 
administered according to the accustomed laws, forms and 

* The historian Dumont relates: "As at one time there was no executioner in 
" the colony and no one who would take the exercise of the office, and as every 
*' well organized government needed an official executioner, it was decided to give 
'' the charge to a net^ro, named Jeannot, belonging to the Company of tlie Indies. 
" He was summoned and told what was intended. He tried to get out of it, 
" although tlie office would have given him his freedom. But he saw that there \vas 
" no escape, that he would be forced into it: * Very well,' he said, • wait a moment.' 
" He hastened to his cabin, seized a hatchet, laid his arm on a block of wood, and 
•' cut off his hand. Returning he showed his bloody stump to the commissioners." 



128 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA, 

usages of France. O'Reilly, in his policy of reconstruction, 
heeded no such desire. A proclamation in November an- 
nounced to the colonists that all hitherto existing form? of 
government were abolished and that Louisiana was to be 
placed under the same regulations that reigned in other 
Spanish colonies. For the Superior Council, a cabildo was 
substituted, composed of six regidores, two alcades, an 
attorney general, syndic and clerk, over all of which the 
Spanish governor was to preside. The Spanish language 
was ordered to be employed by all public officers ; and the 
colony was to be made as much as possible by superior 
force, Spanish at least in appearance. 

During the winter the governor made a tour of inspection 
of the settlements along the liver coasts. The most notable 
planters were invited to meet him ; but he received only a 
dignified and cold submission from them. Some of the 
French soldiers enlisted in the Spanish service. Many were 
discharged and received grants of land ; those who wished 
to remain in the French service were offered free passage to 
St. Domingo or France. Aubry sailed with those who re- 
turned to France. His vessel reached the continent in safety, 
but foundered in the river Garonne. Aubry perished, with 
nearly all on board. 

Large numbers of merchants and mechanics of New Or- 
leans, having no taste for the sample of government they had 
seen, emigrated to St. Domingo. Many of the most pros- 
perous planters followed them. The movement, indeed, 
became so great that O'Reilly, to check it, withheld pass- 
ports from the applicants. 

O'Reilly, himself, took his departure from the colony dur- 
ing the summer, leaving behind him a reputation which 
has become immortalized in Louisiana in the sobriquet of 
"Bloody O'Reilly." 

He appointed as successor one of his colonels, Don Luis 
de Unzaga. 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 129 

Unzaga Governor. 1770-1777. — Unzaga's appointment 
was confirmed by the court of Spain. His mild and easy 
administration relieved the colonists from the gloom into 
which the horrible rigor of O'Reilly had plunged them. He 
married the daughter of a prominent Creole of the province, 
and some of his officers following his example, good will 
was not long in being established between the two nations. 
But the colony was nothing more than a royal apanage. 
The narrow-minded commercial policy of Spain which the 
New Orleans merchants had dreaded was applied rigorously, 
and produced the effect they had predicted, by killing all 
enterprise. The only trade carried on was still by the alert 
English in contraband. Besides large warehouses in Man- 
chac, Baton Rouge and Natchez, and their vessels of goods 
moored at Little Manchac, they now had two large boats, 
with their cabins fitted out like stores, which they kept trav- 
eling up and down the river, stopping at the call of any 
planter. Unzaga closed his eyes at the infraction of the law, 
without which he knew it would be impossible for the colony 
to subsist.* 

War of Independence. 1775. — In the British colonies 
resistance to the arbitrary taxation of the home government 
had culminated in the memorable war which was to result in 
the independence of America and the federation of the United 
States. During the desperate struggle that ensued after the 
battle of Lexington, the need of supplies by way of the Mis- 
sissippi brought American merchants and emissaries to New 
Orleans, where, with Unzaga's connivance, they established 
commercial connections to buy arms and ammunition to ship 
to the colonial forces. 

* It was during Unzaga's administration that the celebrated religious war be- 
tween the French and Spanish Capuchins took place; from the Spanish father, 
Cirilo, attempting to substitute the grim fanaticism of Spanish practices for the 
pastoral government of the French father, Dagobert, an episode much celebrated 
in local fiction and poetry, and one which has elevated the French Capuchin, good 
Father Dagobert, into the ecclesiastical hero of the place. Unzaga acted during 
the troublous discussion with the toleration and equity which eminently distin- 
guished him in all his administrative difficulties. 



130 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



Unzaga Appointed Captain General of Caraccas, was 
succeeded by Don Bernardo Galvez. 

Don Bernardo Galvez. 1783-1785. — Galvez was a brill- 
iant young officer of twenty-two, the colonel of the Spanish 

regiment of Louisiana and 
powerfully connected ; his 
father being viceroy of Mex- 
ico and his uncle secretary 
of state and president of the 
Council of the Indies, an 
office second in authority 
only to the king. 

Galvez, like Unzaga, did 
ail in his power to ren- 
der his nation and his gov- 
ernment acceptable to the 
colonists. He opened his 
administration by mitigating 
BERNARDO DE GALVEZ. the strict dccrecs against 

trade, and French vessels were once more permitted to land at 
New Orleans. Competing with the English, they soon suc- 
ceeded to their monopoly, and enterprise and activity revived 
among the Creole merchants and planters, who were further 
encouraged by the offer of the Spanish government to buy in 
future all the tobacco raised in the colony. In the city, assist- 
ance was furnished more and more openly to the warring 
American colonies. Not only were regular shipments of 
supplies made to Virginia and Pennsylvania, but emissaries 
passing backward and forward in their effort to stir up a re- 
volt also in the Floridas made it a stopping place and rendez- 
vous. An American in Philadelphia even fitted out there an 
expedition into the British territory^ which captured the fort 
at Manchac and ravaged the plantations as far as Natchez. 
War. — It could not be expected that France should remain 
neutral in the conflict between the Americans and her old foe. 




SPANISH DOMINATION. 131 

From private encouragement and assistance she passed to 
open recognition of the independence of the revolted colonies 
and to a treaty of alliance with them. England responded by 
hostilities against France. Spain offered her mediation for 
a general peace based on the separation of the colonies from 
the mother country. England, haughtily refusing, Spain de- 
termined to take a hand herself in the quarrel, by declaring 
war against England. It was the opportunity above all 
others desired by Louisiana*s young martial governor. 

Capture of British Forts. — Raising a volunteer corps 
among the Americans in the city, the colonial militia, peo- 
ple of color, and Indians, Galvez mustered a force of about 
fourteen hundred men. Marching up the river he captured 
Fort Bute ; forced Baton Rouge to capitulate, and in her 
capitulation to include Fort Panmure at Natchez, and three 
other small garrisons in the neighborhood. 

Mobile Captured. 1780. — Returnmg to New Orleans, he 
immediately commenced preparations for an expedition 
against Mobile, and sailed from the Balize with over two 
thousand men. In the gulf he was overtaken by a storm, which 
came near wrecking the whole expedition. They succeeded, 
however, in reaching Mobile river, where, in spite of the 
confusion and demoralization of his army, Galvez marched 
to Fort Charlotte and forced its surrender. 

Expedition Against Pensacola. 1781. — The conquest of 
Pensacola was next determined on, but this place was too well 
fortified to hope for the easy triumphs of the past. Galvez 
sent to Cuba for troops. The captain general promised 
but did not send them. Galvez then sailed there in person 
and obtained them. Crossing the gulf, however, he encoun- 
tered a terrible hurricane ; many of his transports foundered, 
the rest were dispersed. He put back to Havana, col- 
lected and refitted a new armament and sailed for Pensacola 
with a ship of the line, two frigates, several transports and 
fourteen hundred men, with full equipment of artillery. 



132 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

He landed on the island of St. Rosa in March, and erected 
a battery to protect his ships while crossing the bar. But 
when the attempt was made the commodore's ship got 
aground and he refused to proceed. Galvez had the channel 
sounded, and found water enough for his largest vessels, but 
the Spanish officers still refused to risk the royal fleet, in a 
channel they did not know, under fire of a formidable fort. 
Galvez then decided to carry through his own colonial gun- 
boats and thus force the Spanish commodore into followmg 
his example. Towards noon he went aboard, ordered the 
penant at the mainmast, salutes fired and sails set. The fort 
commenced a brisk cannonade, but his boats sailed trium- 
phantly through it, and Galvez landed on the island of St. 
Rosa, amid the acclamations of his men. The rest of the 
fleet crossed the bar next day with like success. 

Attack, — After some parley, with a view of excluding the 
town of Pensacola and its inhabitants from exposure to the 
fortunes of war, the English commander withdrew with all 
his forces into the fort. The Spaniards threw up their earth 
works on both sides the British walls and stationed their 
batteries. From these and from the fleet in front a tremen- 
dous fire was poured into the fort. Again and again the 
men were driven from their guns, but the Spaniards gained 
no decided advantage. On the contrary, the British erected 
a battery whose heavy guns soon silenced the Spanish ships 
and drove them to the other side of the bay. After a month's 
siege an accident turned the uncertain victory to the account 
of Galvez. The powder magazine in one of the advanced re- 
doubts took fire from a shell and blew up, opening a passage 
to him. He had barely taken possession of it when the 
British displayed a white flag. A capitulation was agreed 
upon by which the whole province of West Florida was sur- 
rendered to Spain. The garrison was allowed the honors of 
war and transportation into the English dominions. 

The brilliant services of Galvez were rewarded with the 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 133 

Cross of the Royal Order of Charles III, the title of Count, 
promotion to Lieutenant General in the army, and Captain 
General of Florida and Louisiana. He sailed shortly after- 
wards to Havana, to take command of the Spanish forces in 
a combined French and Spanish attack on Jamaica, leav- 
ing the government of Louisiana during his absence to 
Don Estevan Miro, colon-el of the Spanish regiment of 
Louisiana. 

Peace of Paris. American Independence, 1783. — The 
great and glorious struggle of the Americans drew to an 
end. Great Britain was forced to acknowledge their in- 
dependence. The peace was signed in Paris, January 20, 
1783. 

By a following treaty Spain retained her conquests of 
Florida, and the line between her territory and that of the 
United States was fixed at a point in the Mississippi river ; 
latitude, 33 deg. north, extending to the middle of the 
Apalachicola river, following it to its junction with Flint 
river, thence to the St. Mary's and down its middle to the 
Atlantic ocean. Navigation of the Mississippi, from its source 
to its mouth, was declared free to the subjects of Great 
Britain and citizens of the United States. 

The new lines were, however, not fixed before they were 
called into dispute. The State of Georgia claimed a large 
territory inside the Spanish boundary, and sent commis- 
sioners to New Orleans, demanding its surrender. The 
question referred to the court of Spain reopened negotiations 
between the two countries, which lasted several years. And 
the navigation of the Mississippi, declared free on paper, 
was practically closed by the Spanish imposition of oppressive 
taxes and duties. 

1784. — During their short and brilliant war against their 
English neighbors, the Louisianians suffered great agricul- 
tural and commercial depression. The paper money fell to 
half its value ; crop after crop failed. The sorely needed 



134 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

peace did little to mitigate the crisis. For two years succes- 
sively hurricanes had swept the country bare of vegetation 
and buildings ; and the waters of the gulf, driven inland in a 
great tidal wave, had submerged land and stock. In addition, 
there were the usual overflows from the river, and a rainy 
summer following brought an epidemic of fever. The nec- 
essaries of life rose to an extreme height and want and suf- 
fering wrung bitter complaints from the inhabitants. The 
winter that succeeded was unknown in severity in all pre- 
vious experience. White frosts appeared in September. By 
November the cold was intense. In February the whole 
width of the river in front of New Orleans was so filled 
with blocks of ice that for five days all communication be- 
tween the two banks was interrupted. 

Early in 1785 Galvez was appointed viceroy of Mexico, 
to succeed his deceased father, and Miro became governor 
of Louisiana. 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of O'Reilly in New Orleans. Arrest of the pa- 
triots. Their trial and execution. Spanish reconstruction in Louis- 
iana. Unzaga's administration. Administration of Galvez. Capture 
of the British possessions. Give account of the Peace of Paris — the 
boundaries it fixed and the provision regarding the Mississippi river. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Governor Miio. 1785-1791. — Miro continued the wise 
policy of his predecessors, exerting himself to obtain from 
the Court of Madrid as much extension of commercial privi- 
leges as possible, foreseeing that in commerce lay the very 
life of the colony. He was fully impressed with the impor- 
tance of the Mississippi as the artery of trade of the country. 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 135 

**As many as forty vessels at a time/' he wrote to the home 
government, " could be seen on its waters."* 

The natural, and in that ante-railroad period the only 
outlet for the produce of the Middle, or, as they were then 
called, the Western States, the river was indeed asserting its 
importance in a manner that both governments were forced 
to consider. After the War of Independence there poured 
down upon its currents one continuous line of flat-boats 
laden to the edge with the produce of the rich soil from 
above. These cargoes found ready sale, and were soon the 
main source of food supplies to the city. The flat-boats, 
after being unloaded, were broken up and sold for timber. 
But the sturdy flatboatmen from Ohio and Kentuckv,on their 
return, had always a long list of seizures, confiscations, im- 
prisonments, and vexatious interferences of all kinds by the 
Spanish authorities, to report, and the people of the States, 
strong and bold in their new liberty, were not of the kind 
tamely to brook such treatment. They considered that the 
Mississippi river belonged to the people of the Mississippi 
valley, and they were determined to have the use of it to its 
mouth. Among the violent, invasion of Louisiana and forci- 
ble seizure of New Orleans were talked about. The more 
peaceable applied to Congress to obtain from Spain by ne- 
gotiation the full observance of the last treaty. 

Miro, alive to the critical temper of Americans and to the 
defenceless condition of the colony, redoubled his vigilance 
and relaxed the restrictions upon the river trade. To fill up 
the country, he encouraged emigation from the West into the 
Spanish possessions on the Mississippi, and another large 
number of Acadian families coming into the colony, he 
settled them in the neighborhood of their compatriots on 

*One of the first acts of Miro's administration was the building- of a hospital for 
lepers in New Orleans on what was long called *' la terre aux lepreux," or lepers' 
land, situated on Metairie Ridge, Ulloa had attempted to confine some of the 
lepers at Balize, but the public discontent caused him to desist. 



136 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

both sides of the Mississippi and in the Attakapas* district. 
To increase Spanish population, the Spanish govern- 
ment had in this, and also during the previous adminis- 
tration, transported to Louisiana a number of families from 
the Canary Islands. f These were settled, some at Terre- 
aux-boeufs ; some at Bayou Manchac, where they formed a 
village called Galvezton ; and some at Venezuela, on Bayou 
Lafourche. 

The English inhabitants of the Natchez district were en- 
couraged to remain and take the oath of allegiance to Spain : 
they were forbidden, however, the public exercise of their 
worship, and the king sent out, at his own expense, Irish 
priests to convert them to the Roman Church. 

At the same time, Miro spared no means to conciliate the 
Indians, and he succeeded in drawing to New Orleans 
thirty-six of the most influential Chickasaw and Choctaw 
chiefs, gave them rich presents, harangued and feasted 
them. 

1787. — General Wilkinson, a distinguished officer in the 
War of Independence, became a prominent figure in the 
crisis. He conceived the plan of relieving the strained con- 
dition by establishing such relations between the people of 
the interior and the Spaniards as would be profitable to both. 
He came to New Orleans and made the acquaintance of 
Miro, who, fearful at every rise of the river of an invasion 
from the indignant Americans to the north, eagerly wel- 
comed any arrangement by which such a possibility might 
be avoided. He even flattered himself that Wilkinson's 
friendship and the necessity of the Mississippi to the Middle 
States, properly handled, might result in their secession from 
the Union, and the erection of a friendly republic under the 

*In the beginning- of 17S7 the districts of Opelousas and Attakapas, which so far 
had been under one officer, were divided into two separate commands, NichohiS 
Forstal was appointed commander of the Opelousas district, and the Chevalier de 
Clouet, who had before presided over both, was left in charge of the Attakapas, 

t Called to this day " Islingues," from islenos, islanders. 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 137 

dependence of Spain, between the Spanish and the United 
States boundaries. 

New Orleans. 1788. — In the capital life was changing 
from the rude simplicity of the early Canadian days to the 
tone and fashion of European cities, of which the foreign 
officers and their families set the standard. Handsome resi- 
dences of brick and stucco with hand-wrought iron gates 
and balconies, and spacious court yards, began to replace 
the low, tile-covered cottages of the first settlers. But the 
march of improvement was arrested by a most disastrous 
occurrence. 

On Good Friday, 1788, the house of one of the Spanish 
officials caught fire from the lights on the altar of the 
domestic chapel. The flames spread until the entire city 
seemed doomed ; eight hundred and fifty-six houses, the 
Cathedral, Convent of the Capuchins, Town Hall, the 
arsenal and all its contents, were consumed. Nothing could 
exceed the scene of ruin and desolation that ensued. New and 
handsomer buildings, however, were soon being built on the 
old sites, and Don Andres Almonaster,* a rich and influential 
citizen, commenced his generosities to the city by replacing 
the burned schoolhouse, and laying the foundation of a new 
and handsome cathedral. 

In the begmning of 1789 Louisiana learned that Charles 
III was dead, and that Charles IV, his son, succeeded him. 
But the new king was more intensely Spanish than the last, 
as the colony soon perceived. 

Inquisition. — The Spanish Capuchin priest, Antonio de 
Sedella, who had lately arrived, was commissioned to intro- 
duce the Inquisition into the city. He made his preparations 
with the utmost secresy and caution, and notified the gov- 

*Don Andres Almoiiastor y Roxas was a native of Andalusia. He was a 
Knight, of the Royal Order of Charles III, colonel of the militia, alderman and 
royal lieutenant of the corporation, founder and donor of the cathedral, the court 
house, of the Hospital of St. Charles and of its church; also of the hospital for 
lepers and of the convent and school of the Ursulines. He died in 179S, and 
was buried in the cathedral, in which perpetual masses are celebrated for his soul. 



138 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

ernor that he might soon, at some late hour at night, find it 
necessary to require guards to assist him. 

Miro did not hesitate to risk his own authority to prevent 
an establishment, the idea of which made him shudder. The 
night following the Capuchin's notification, when the rep- 
resentative of the Inquisition was quietly sleeping, he was 
aroused by a heavy knocking ; opening the door, he saw an 
officer and a file of grenadiers. Thinking they had come in 
answer to his letter, he said: *' My friends, I thank you and 
" his excellency for the readiness of this compliance with my 
*' request. But I have now no need for your services, and 
*' you shall be warned in time when you are wanted. Retire 
** with the blessing of God."* 

Great was his stupefaction when he was told that he was 
under arrest. "What," exclaimed he, "Will you dare lay 
your hands on a Commissioner of the Inquisition!" *'I dare 
obey orders," replied the undaunted officer; and the 
Reverend Father Antonio de Sedilla was instantly carried on 
board of a vessel which sailed the next day for Cadiz, t 

Goddess of Liberty. 1791. — Tender of the political as 
well as religious condition of the people, the King of Spain 
prohibited the introduction into the colony of any boxes, 
clocks, or other objects stamped with the figure of the 
American goddess of liberty. 

French Revolution. 1791. — It was a time indeed to fear 
the spread of ideas of liberty. The heroic stand of the 
United States against England, and the independence and 
freedom thereby gained, had fired the long discontented 
French people into a revolt against their monarchy. 

The revolution which broke out with such deplorable vio- 
lence in France was followed in the French colonies with 
even more bloody exhibitions. In St. Domingo the negroes, 

* Gayarre, Spanish domination. 

tA few years later Pere Antoine returned and lived and worked in the city 
until 1837. He made himself so beloved by the people that his memory is still 
cherished by both Protestants and Catholics, 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 139 

not satisfied with the freedom granted them, resolved to rule 
supreme. A general massacre of the whites was plotted and 
carried out with revolting cruelty. Those who could escape 
fled to neighboring countries ; many came to Louisiana. 
Among the refugees were a company of French comedians. 
They opened a theatre in New Orleans, originating the regu- 
lar French dramatic performances which have still con- 
tinued in the city. 

Miro was permitted to retire from Louisiana and return to 
Spain in 1791. He had endeared himself to the colonists by 
his kind manners and fine moral qualities and had done much 
to reconcile them with the Spanish Domination.* 

Carondelet. 1792-1797. — Francois Louis Hector Baron 
de Carondelet, like his predecessors, was a colonel in the 
royal army. He was a native of Flanders, and at the time 

of his appointment was governor of 
San Salvador in Guatemala. He is 
described as a short, plump gentle- 
man, somewhat choleric in disposi- 
tion, but not lackmg in good 
nature. 

As Miro had done, Carondelet 
tolerated the open disregard of the 
duties imposed upon the Mississippi 
trade, and New Orleans was per- 
mitted to stride forward to the com- 
BARON CARONDELET. mcrcial position which her geo- 
graphical situation warranted. Numbers of Philadelphia 
merchants established branch houses in the city, and Ameri- 
cans began to crowd in to fill the lucrative positions daily 
offering. But as before, whenever prosperity seemed most 
assured, events in Europe disturbed it. 




*Miro had a census of the population taken in 1789, with the fallowing result: 
Total, 31,433, showing a doubling of the population since 1769. 1 he slaves ana 
whites were about equally divided; the free colored amounted to uoo; the numDer 
of Acadians to 1587, 



140 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

News arrived that the French Republic had been pro- 
claimed, and Louis XVI beheaded ; and with it came the 
declaration of war by Spain against France. 

The Spanish reconstruction had never gone to the hearts 
of the Louisianians, they still were Frenchmen, had never 
ceased to speak their own language, nor to long for an 
opportunity to return to their own nationality, and they had 
been French Republicans in spirit ever since Louis XV 
had thrown them off and abandoned them to the vengeance 
of O'Reilly. They saw now a chance for changing their 
government for one animated by the freedom and progressive 
spirit of the United States, but French in language and 
nationality. One hundred and fifty of them boldly signed a 
petition addressed to the new republic, praying to be placed 
under the protection of France. At the theatre in New 
Orleans, the new French patriotic hymn, the Marseillaise, 
was demanded from the orchestra, and in all drinking saloons 
stirring revolutionary songs were sung. 

Carondelet had another paper signed, in which other 
colonists pledged themselves to the King of Spain, and to 
the present government of Louisiana. The orchestra at tho 
theatre was forbidden to play martial or revolutionary music, 
and revolutionary songs were prohibited on the streets and in 
the drinking saloons, and six of the most violent partisans of 
the Republic were shipped away to Havana. The fortifica- 
tions of the city were strengthened and repaired ; the gov. 
ernor himself going on horseback every morning regularly 
to superintend the work. Fort St. Charles was built imme- 
diately above the city, and another fort, St. Louis, immedi- 
ately below. In front of the principal streets was placed a 
strong battery, which commanded the river and crossed its fire 
with that of the forts. In the rear of the city were-three other 
forts: Burgundy, St. Ferdinand and St. Joseph. They were 
smaller than those in front, and connected with a ditch forty 
feet wide and seven deep. With the earth taken out of the 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 



141 



ditch, a parapet, three feet high had been made protected by 
a palisade twelve feet high. The two batteries at English 
Turn were abandoned. A large fort (St. Philip) was built 
at Plaquemine Turn and a smaller one placed on the 
opposite side of the river. The militia was drilled and 
disciplined. 

These measures had their effect on the colonists immedi- 
ately under the power of Spain, but the agitation outside 
continued unabated. A society of French Republicans in 
Philadelphia circulated an address in Louisiana, calling 
upon their brethren, in the name of Liberty, Equality and 



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CITY OF NEW ORLEANS IN 1770. 

Fraternity, to strike a blow against the Spanish despotism 
which enslaved them and join the nations of the free ; prom- 
ising that down the waters of the Ohio would soon come 
abundant help of men and money. The French minister to 
the United States turned his efforts to getting up an expedi- 
tion composed of Frenchmen and Americans, which he pro- 



/ 



142 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

posed to lead himself into Louisiana. Profiting by the preju- 
dice against the Spaniards, he gathered a large band on the 
borders of Georgia and even gained a strong party of Indian 
warriors to join the movement. August de la Chaise, a na- 
tive Louisianian (grandson of the royal commissary of 1723), 
was sent to Kentucky to recruit invaders there, who were to 
descend to New Orleans by way of the Ohio and Missis- 
sippi. 

The authorities of the United States, however, firmly in- 
terfered to prevent this violation of international treaty, and 
the governor of Georgia issued a proclamation against the 
proposed use of his territory. De la Chaise, disappointed in 
his hopes, dispersed his force of two thousand men and re- 
tired to France. 

Treaty of Madrid. 1795.— Finally the long pending 
negotiations between the United States and Spain drew to a 
close. The boundary line was changed to the 31st deg. 
north latitude, running eastward to the Chattahoochie and 
thence out on the former line to the ocean. The free navi- 
gation of the Mississippi was again stipulated and permis- 
sion given to the people of the United States to use New 
Orleans for three years as a place of deposit for their produce 
and merchandise and to export the same free of all duty ; the 
term of three years to be extended at its expiration or another 
place of deposit designated on the island of Orleans. 

Making of Sugar by Etienne de Bore.* — M. de Bore 
had settled on a plantation six_miles above New Orleans, on 
the same side of the river, and, like most of the planters in 
Louisiana, had devoted himself to the cultivation of indigo. 
Huricanes and overflows, however, had much diminished his 
fortune, and in addition an insect had appeared, which attack- 

* Etienne de Bore came of distinguished Norman family. He was born in 1740 
in the Illinois, but was taken at an early age to France. "After the completion of 
his education he entered the Royal Mousquetaire or troops of the King's house- 
hold. Alter his marriage he returned to Louisiana and engaged in planting. M. 
de Bore was the grandfather of Louisiana's distinguished historian, Charle$ 
Gayarre. 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 



143 



ing the indigo plant, soon left it nothing but a bare stem. 
Ruin stared him and the other planters in the face. The 
manufacture of sugar had been abandoned since 1766, as 
impossible in the climate, and only a few now planted cane, 
to be sold as a delicacy in the market or boiled into sugar or 
made into a kind of rum called tafia. Bore determined to risk 

what was left of his fortune 
by one more attempt at sugar 
making. His wife, and his 
friends also remonstrated with 
him. He nevertheless pur- 
chased seed cane, planted and 
got ready for grinding and 
boiling. On the day when 
the rolling was to begin a large 
number of neighbors and 
friends assembled in and 
about the sugar house, watch- 
ing with anxiety the success 
or failure of the experiment. 
" Would the syrup granu- 
late.?" " Would it make sugar -or not.?" The moment 
came. The sugar boiler tested again and again. *' It granu- 
lates!" he called out, " It granulates!" " It granulates!" 
the crowd in the sugar house repeated. The cry was caught 
up outside and flew from mouth to mouth to the city.* 

But the sugar planters were then confronted by what seemed 
another and more horrible ruin — an insurrection of the ne- 
groes. The news of the St. Domingo revolution had pene- 
trated to the large slave population of Louisiana. What had 
been accomplished there, it was thought, might be accom- 
plished here. A conspiracy was formed at Pointe Coupee 
on the plantation of Julian Poydras, one of the wealthiest 
planters of Louisiana, then traveling in the United States. 

♦Gayarre, Spanish Domination, 




ETIENNE DE BORE. 



144 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

The plot spread throughout the parish and a day was fixed 
for the general massacre of the whites. A disagreement as 
to the hour produced a quarrel among the leaders which led 
to the betrayal of the plot and arrest of the ringleaders. The 
negroes rose to the rescue, but were repulsed, and the ring- 
leaders were tried, condemned and hung as a warning at 
various points on the river bank. 

In 1795 another conflagration almost consumed New Or- 
leans, causing even greater financial loss than the previous 
one. Only two stores in the whole city escaped, but fortu- 
nately the new cathedral, just completed by Don Andres de 
Almonaster, was spared. In order the better to avoid such 
calamities in the future, Carondelet recommended that pre- 
miums be granted to those in New Orleans who should re- 
build with terraced or tiled instead of shingle roofs. 

It was also during this year, 1795, that the first regular 
newspaper made its appearance in the city. It was called 
Le Moniteur de la Louisiane. 

Carondelet completed his extensive works in the city by 
digging the Canal Carondelet, which connected the city with 
Bayou St. John, giving access to boats from the lake. The 
convict labor and details of slaves contributed by the plant- 
ers were employed at it. As affording drainage for the city 
and bringing into it wood and small products from the lands 
across the lakes, the canal has more than justified the Baron's 
high expectation of it. In 1796 he also gave the city regular 
police protection and established eighty lamps for the light- 
mg of it. 

The revolution in France turned at this period a tide of 
emigration into Louisiana most acceptable to the Spanish 
authorities. It was composed of French royalists flying 
from the new Republic. Among the most conspicuous were 
the Marquis de Maison Rouge, the Baron de Bastrop and 
M. de Lassus de St. Vrain. They proposed plans for the 
removal of a large number of their countrymen and large 



SPANISH DOMINATION. 145 

tracts of land were granted them on the banks of the 
Ouachita.* 

Appointed to a command in Quito, Carondelet left New 
Orleans in the autumn of 1797- He was succeeded by 
Gayoso de l^emos. 

Gayoso de Lemos Governor. 1797-1799. — De Lemos 
governed for two years. 

During his intrigues to detach the Western States from the 
Union, Carondelet had delayed, through various pretexts, the 
giving up of the forts Panmure and Walnut Hills, held by 
Spain within the boundaries of the United States. Now 
that all hopes of such a secession from the United States was 
ended by the firm allegiance of the Western people, Gayoso 
evacuated the territory. | General Wilkinson arrived with 
federal troops and took up his headquarters at Loftus' 
Height (Roche a Davion). Don Jose Vidal assumed com- 
mand of the Spanish fort at Natchez. 

The three years fixed by the Treaty of Madrid elapsed and 
a royal order was issued, prohibiting New Orleans as a place 
of deposit and designating no other place in its stead. When 
this became known in the Western States, it caused the most 
intense indignation and an expedition against New Orleans 
was openly advocated. President Adams, obliged by 
popular opinion to make some demonstration, ordered three 
regiments of the regular army to concentrate on the Ohio till 
further orders. Twelve additional regiments were ordered 
by Congress to be raised and other preparations were made 
which seemed to indicate an immediate campaign against 
Louisiana. 

In the midst of the excitement Gayoso died suddenly, and 
Don Francisco Bouligny, colonel of the regiment of Louisi- 
ana, assumed his office. 

* These grants were made on certain conditions which were never complied with 
and a full title was never vested. 

t B^ act of Congress, the land ceded was organized into the Territory of 
Mississippi, 



146 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Casa Calvo. 1799-1801. — The Captain General of Cuba 
sent over the Marquis de Casa Calvo to be temporary gov- 
ernor in the colony. 

The government of the United States, instead of proceed- 
ing to armed means for the protection of the rights of her 
citizens, arrested warlike preparations and reopened negotia- 
tions with Spain. The acquisition of New Orleans was the 
only sure guarantee of a final solution of the matter. . While 
the negotiations for it were pending, the King of Spain 
revoked the decree against trade and restored to the 
people of the United States a place of deposit in New 
Orleans. 

Salcedo Governor. 1801-1803. — Don Juan Manuel de 
Salcedo, brigadier general in the armies of Spain, arrived in 
Louisiana to relieve Caso Calvo. One of his first measures 
was to send arms and equipments to the militia of the Natch- 
itoches district, in order that they might make a stand against 
an American inroad threatened in that quarter. At the same 
time, his intendant, the Comptroller of Customs, Morales, 
issued a decree forbidding the granting of any land to a citi- 
zen of the United States, and again suspended, by proclama- 
tion, the right of deposit in New Orleans. The news of it 
almost produced a revolt among the Western people; they 
rose and for the last time demanded redress from Con- 
gress. *' The Mississippi is ours," they said, "by the law of 
nature. Our rivers swell its volume and flow with it to the 
Gulf of Mexico. Its mouth is the only issue which nature 
has given to our waters, and we wish to use it for our vessels. 
No power in the world should deprive us of our rights. If 
our liberty in this matter is disputed, nothing shall prevent 
our taking possession of the capital, and when we are once 
masters of it we shall know how to maintain ourselves there. 
If Congress refuses us effectual protection we will adopt the 
measures which our safety requires, even if they endanger 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 147 

the peace of the Union and our connection with the other 
States, No protection, no allegiance." * 

QUESTIONS. 

Give an account of Miro's administration. Of the importance of 
the Mississippi to the Middle States. Restrictive duties of the Span- 
ish authorities. Effect on the Western people. Inquisition in New 
Orleans. French Revolution. Carondelet's administration. Treaty 
of Madrid. Making of sugar. Administration of Gayoso. Casa 
Calvo. Salcedo. Last demand of Western people for free navigation 
of the Mississippi river. 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE THREE POWERS. 

The first years of this century witnessed some very impor- 
tant events in the history of Louisiana. By these events the 
whole current of affairs was changed. The great territory 
that then bore the name of Louisiana was brought from under 
the Spanish domination and joined to the American Union. 
It must be noticed, however, that the interests of the Louis- 
ianians themselves were not at all consulted. Their country 
was simply a valuable piece of property; two other nations, 
we shall see, sold it for as high a price as they could obtain, 
and in the end the Americans carried off the prize. It was a 
splendid bargain for the United States, and the inhabitants 
of the purchased territory soon found that under the free 
American Government a glorious future was opened before 
them. 

* Quoted by Gayarre from Marbois' History of Louisiana. 



148 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Let us trace the history of these important events. 

Napoleon's Bargain with Spain. — In the year 1800, 
Napoleon Bonaparte, who was then at the head of the French 
government with the title of First Consul, determined to induce 
Spain to give back Louisiana to France. It was his intention 
to establish once more the power of France in America, and 
to use Louisiana as a point from which he could attack the 
possessions of the English, with whom he was constantly at 
war. 

When he proposed to the King of Spain that the province 
should be ceded back to France, His Catholic Majesty,* who 
had not found Louisiana a very profitable possession, and 
who feared that the grasping Americans might one day ta^e 
it from him, listened very favorably to Napoleon's proposition. 
He finally declared that he would give up the province, if 
Napoleon would make over to the Duke of Parma, who 
belonged to the royal house of Spain, that part of Italy which 
was called the Duchy of Tuscany. Napoleon promised to 
comply with this condition, and October i, 1800, a secret treaty 
was signed at St. Ildefonso, of which the third article was as 
follows: "His Catholic Majesty promises and binds himself 
" to give back to the French Republic, six months after the 
" conditions in regard to Louis, Duke of Parma, have been 
*' executed, the colony of Louisiana, with the same boundaries 
'* which it had when it was owned by France, and which it 
" should have according to the treaties made more recently 
" between Spain and other States." 

Thus Spain thought she had placed between the Ameri- 
cans and her Mexican possessions a power friendly to her- 
self; if she had dreamed that Napoleon would in a few 
years sell the colony to her American rival, it would never 
have passed out of her hands. 

For more than a year Napoleon kept his bargain with 
Spain a profound secret. His minister was the famous Tal- 

* This was the official title of the King of Spain. 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 149 

leyrand, who was very skilful in concealing what he knew and 
in baffling all inquiries. Napoleon had very good reasons for 
pretending that France did not own Louisiana. England had 
a powerful fleet, which was always sailing along the English 
Channel and watching the movements of French vessels. If 
it were known that Louisiana belonged to France, England 
might easily send this fleet across the Atlantic, seize the col- 
ony, and extend her dominion from Canada to the Gulf of 
Mexico. If she made the attempt, Napoleon, who was then 
carrying on extensive wars in Europe, was not at that mo- 
ment able to prevent her. 

Jefferson's Purchase. — In the meantime the Spanish 
governor, Salcedo, still remained in Louisiana, and his in- 
tendant. Morales, ventured to deny to the Western people the 
right of deposit at New Orleans. We saw in our last chap- 
ter how boldly the people of Kentucky protested against this 
action. If the American Government had refused to listen 
to their complaints, they would doubtless have attacked 
the Spaniards and tried to seize New Orleans. But Thomas 
Jefferson, who was then President of the United ^States, ap- 
preciated the grievances of which the Kentuckians com- 
plained, and resolved to do all that he could to remove them. 

As soon as it was finally known that Louisiana had been 
ceded by Spain to France, he sent over James Monroe (after- 
wards President of the United States), to join Robert R. 
Livingston, United States Minister at Paris, and he instructed 
these two representatives to negotiate with Napoleon for the 
purchase of New Orleans and the right of way to the Gulf. 
But as Napoleon saw that it would not be in his power to 
hold Louisiana against the English, he very shrewdly deter- 
mined to sell the whole country to the United States. He 
would thus prevent England from seizing it; he would at 
the same time make friends of the Americans ; and he would 
himself obtain a handsome sum to carry on the war against 
the English. Accordingly, therefore, he opened negotiations 



150 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

with the American agents to find out how much they would 
give, not for New Orleans alone, but for the whole of Louisi- 
ana. After long discussions with a French Commissioner 
named Barbe-Marbois, Monroe and Livingston agreed upon 
the sum of eighty million francs (about fifteen million dol- 
lars) as the price that America should pay. The treaty of 
sale was signed at Paris April 30, 1803. 

Napoleon was highly pleased with the result. " This ac- 
cession of territory," he said, " strengthens forever the power 
of the United States. I have given England a maritime rival 
which will sooner or later humble her pride." His predic- 
tion was fulfilled in the war of 1812-15, when the American 
vessels won many victories over the English. 

In the United States, Jefferson's purchase was disapproved 
of by some people, but the joy of the Western States car- 
ried everything before it. The result was that in 1S04 Jeffer- 
son was re-elected President. 

Spain, very naturally, showed some indignation at Na- 
poleon's bold stroke, and maintained that he had agreed not 
to yield Louisiana to any other nation. But this agreement 
was never proved, and Jefferson refused to consider the 
Spanish protest. It was then feared that Spain would try to 
prevent the transfer of the colony; but she afterwards with- 
drew her protest, " as a proof of her friendship for the United 
States." 

Laussat in Louisiana. — We must now return to the 
events in Louisiana. On March 26, 1803, M. Laussat, the 
Commissioner sent over by Napoleon to receive Louisiana 
from the vSpaniards, arrived at New Orleans. As the treaty 
of sale with the United States was not signed till a month 
later, Laussat did not suspect that after he had taken posses- 
sion of the colony, he would be ordered to transfer it to 
another government. 

He was received with proper honors by the Spanish gov- 
ernor, vSalcedo, and soon after issued an address, in which he 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 151 

told the Louisianians that the transfer of their country to 
Spain in 1763 had beeen the act of a weak and corrupt gov- 
ernment, but that the great and magnanimous Napoleon, as 
soon as his victories had given him the power, had hastened 
to restore Louisiana to the care of France. Laussat did not 
know that at this very time Napoleon was bargaining to 
sell Louisiana to the United States at the highest possible 
price. 

Laussat received two addresses in answer to his own. The 
first was from the planters of Louisiana ; it was signed by 
Manuel Andry, Noel Peret, Foucher, and many others. They 
expressed the joy they felt in becoming citizens of France ; 
but they declared that they had no cause to complain of their 
treatment at the hands of the Spanish governors, with the sin- 
gle exception of the cruel Irishman, O'Reilly. " Let the 
"Spaniards, they added, " have the undisturbed enjoyment 
" of all the property they own on this soil, and let us share 
'^ with them like brotliers the blessings of our new position." 
The second address, signed by well known citizens of New 
Orleans, such as De Bore, Fortier, Labatut, and De Buys, 
expressed exactly the same sentiments. Thus the Louisi- 
anians, for the most part, were delighted to be transferred to 
France; but many of them, says Marbois, feared that Na- 
poleon might set free all of the slaves in Louisiana, as he had 
done in St. Domingo, and that the terrible events which had 
taken place on that island might be repeated in their own 
country. This dread of the First Consul's policy was enough 
to lessen their joy in acknowledging the government of 
France. 

Laussat, who had formed great plans for building roads 
and bridges in the colony, and otherwise increasing its pros- 
perity, soon began to hear rumors that Louisiana had been 
ceded to the American Government. Several months, how- 
ever, passed before orders finally reached him that he was to 
receive Louisiana from the Spanish governor, and then hold 



152 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



himself ready to transfer it to the young American Repub- 
lic. 

France Takes Possession. — On the 30th of November, 
1803, Laussat proceeded to the City Hall (the old Cabildo), 




CABILDO (supreme COURT BUILDING). 

where he met Governor Salcedo and Casa Calvo, who had 
been appointed to transfer Louisiana to France. The three 
gentlemen solemnly took their seats in the council chamber. 
After the necessary documents had been read, the keys of the 
city were handed over to the representatives of France, 
and Casa Calvo announced that all Louisianians who did 
not wish to withdraw from the colony and live elsewhere 
under the Spanish rule were released from their oath of 
fidelity to His Catholic Majesty. The three representatives 
then walked out on the gallery facing the old Place d'Armes 
(now Jackson Square). In the centre of the square the flag 
of Spain was proudly waving. Since thearrival of O'Reilly, 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 153 

thirty-four years before, the people of Louisiana had lived 
under this banner. It now descended from its staff amid 
salutes of artillery and the flag of France rose in its place. 
Before many days had passed the French flag was to be re- 
placed by the " Stars and Stripes." As this fact was already 
known, the ceremony that had just taken place was not re- 
garded by the populace with any great enthusiasm, though 
with the fondness for display which has always distinguished 
iSFew Orleans, an immense crowd had assembled to wit- 
ness it. 

When the ceremony was over Laussat issued a proclama- 
tion to the people of Louisiana, which in beautiful and ap- 
propriate words told them of the new destiny that had been 
prepared for them by Napoleon's treaty with America. He 
told them that according to this treaty they would in a short 
time enjoy all the rights and privileges possessed by the citi- 
zens of the United States. He then prophesied that the Mis- 
sissippi would soon be covered with a thousand ships from all 
nations. *'Maya Louisianian and a Frenchman," he con- 
cluded, " never meet upon any spot of the earth without 
feeling tenderly drawn to each other, and without saluting 
each other with the title of brother! " 

The old Spanish council was abolished, and in its stead 
Laussat appointed a regular city government. Etienne de 
Bore, the rich and successful sugar planter, was chosen 
mayor, while the council was composed of the following 
distinguished citizens: Villere, Jones, Fortier, Donaldson, 
Faurie, Allard, Tureaud, and Watkins. Derbigny was the 
secretary, and Labatut the treasurer. As Laussat had no 
troops to protect New Orleans when the Spanish garrison 
withdrew, a number of young Creoles and Americans formed 
themselves into a company and offered their services to guard 
the city. New Orleans was patrolled by these young men till 
the arrival of the United States Commissioners, who were to 
receive Louisiana for the American Government. 



154 KlSTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Rivalry of Laussat and Casa Calvo. — In the meantime 
there was a gfeat deal of rivalry between Laussat and the 
Marquis of Casa Calvo, each trying to outdo the other in a 
series of magnificent dinner parties, given to the chief in- 
habitants of the colony. It was the French Republic vying 
with the Spanish Monarchy. Each representative wished to 
jDrove how much affection his country felt for the Louisian- 
ians. In a history of Louisiana, by a French traveller named 
Robin, who attended some of these banquets, there is an in- 
teresting description of the guests, and from it we translate 
the following : "The ladies of the colony appear at these 
" fetes with an elegance which is truly astonishing; the prin- 
" cipal cities of France can offer nothing more brilliant. 
*' These ladies are generally tall and dignified. The white- 
*' ness of their complexion is set off by light robes orna- 
" mented with flowers and embroidery; so that one of these 
** fetes is like a scene in fairyland. Sometimes as many as 
"four hundred guests are grouped around the tables at sup- 
" per. What a pity," he continues, " that a taste for such 
" pleasures should spread in a new country, which has so 
" much need to practise economy!'* 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was Napoleon ? What bargain did he make ? Give an ac- 
count of Jefferson's purchase. Who was Laussat ? How was his 
address to the people received ? Describe the act of taking posses- 
sion. Describe the banquets of that day. 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 



155 



CHAPTER XXI. 



UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG. 

The American Government Takes Possession. — On 

the 17th of December, 1S03, Win. C. C. Claiborne, Gover- 
^ ^ nor of Mississippi, accompanied 

by General Wilkinson, arrived at 
New Orleans to take possession 
of Louisiana in the name of the 
American Government. The 20th 
instant was chosen as the day of 
the cession. That day, for the 
third time in the memory of a 
generation then living, the people 
of Louisiana, without their feel- 
ings being consulted, were trans- 
ferred from one government to 
another. The Commissioners 
met Laussat at the Cabildo. The 
keys of the city, held by France for twenty days, were now 
presented to Governor Claiborne, and as the " Stars and 
Stripes" ran up to the head of the flagstaff, loud huzzas 
filled the air. These came, it is said, from a group of 
Americans. The rest of the population, who felt that the 
change of government was not an act of their free will, 
showed no enthusiasm. As soon as he had received the keys 
Governor Claiborne arose and addressed the people. He 
congratulated them on becoming citizens of the United States, 
and praised the government which he represented. 

Limits of Louisiana. 1803. — Thus it was that the United 
States came into possession of the great province of Louisi- 
ana. What were the limits of this new purchase.^ They 
embraced more than one million square miles and more than 
ninety thousand inhabitants. The boundaries were about as 




GOVERNOR CLAIBORNE. 



156 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



follows: On the north, the lower limit of Canada ; on the 
south, the Gulf of Mexico; on the east, the Mississippi river 
and a line drawn through Bayou Manchac and the lakes to 



m^ 








fi"-^- 



Jefferson's purchase. 

the sea ; and on the wes-t, the Rocky Mountains and an 
irregular line running from these mountains to the mouth of 
the Sabine river. 

Under the same purchase the United States claimed also a 
part of Oregon and that portion of Florida west of the Per- 
dido river. These claims were not settled till some years 
later. 

Division of Louisiana. — On March 26, 1804, the Con- 
gress of the United States passed an act for the government 
of the great territory purchased by Jefferson. This territory 
was thereby divided into two parts : first, all that portion 
north of the 33d degree of latitude (the present northern 
boundary of Louisiana) was to be called the District of Lou- 
isiana. The name was afterward changed to the Territory 
of Louisiana, and then to the Territory of Missouri; hence 
that part of Louisiana will no longer concern us in this his- 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. l57 

tory. Secondly, "All that portion of the country ceded by 
" France to the United States which lies south of the Missis- 
*' sippi Territory, and of an east and west line to commence 
" on the Mississippi river at the 33d degree of latitude, and 
" extending to the western boundary of the said cession, shall 
" constitute a territory of the United States under the name 
" of the Territory of Orleans.'* We shall see that eight 
years later the Territory of Orleans became the present State 
of Louisiana. 

This new territory was to be under a governor and a legis- 
lative council, both to be appointed by the President of the 
United States. The introduction of slaves from Africa was 
forbidden, and as the inhabitants thought the negroes neces- 
sary for the cultivation of their plantations, this measure 
caused great dissatisfaction. 

Claiborne Made Governor. — On Friday, October 5, 1804, 
Claiborne * was sworn into office as governor of the new Ter- 
ritory of Orleans. He had just suffered a great domestic 
affliction in the death of his wife and child ; and in his open- 
ing address he touched the hearts of his audience by declar- 
ing that the only happiness left to him would consist in try- 
ing to govern wisely those who had been put under his 
charge. 

Legislative Council. — To assist Claiborne in the govern- 
ment of the Territory, the following council was appointed ; 
Julien Poydras, Morgan, Bellechasse, Watkins, de Bore, 
Dow, Coutrelle, Clark, Roman (of Attakapas), Jones, De 
Buys, Kenner, and Wikoff (of Opelousas). The first judges 
appointed were Dominick A. Hall, district judge of the 
United States, with E. Kirby and J. B. Prevost, judges of the 
Superior Court. 

* Wm. Charles Cole Claiborne was sprung- from an old Virginia family. In 1793 
he had moved to East Tennessee, where he held higli offices. He was chosen 
judge ot the Supreme Court and member of Congress. In 1801 he was appointed, 
by Jefferson, governor of the Mississippi Territory, which position he occupied 
until he was sent to Louisiana by the same President. 



158 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Discontent of the Louisianians. — Thus the new govern- 
ment had been organized, but there was still a great deal of 
dissatisfaction among the inhabitants. To forbid the impor- 
tation of slaves was a great grievance, but a more serious one 
was that the legislative council was not elected by the people, 
as in the other Territories of the United States. The new 
Governor, moreover, it was declared, was ignorant of the 
manners and customs of the people over whom he was placed, 
and even spoke the French language very imperfectly. The 
discontent reached such a point that four members of the 
council resigned, and Claiborne had to appoint others in their 
places. 

Before this, however, a committee of three — Destrehan, 
Derbigny, and Sauve — had been sent to Washington with a 
memorial, asking that the Territory of Orleans should be 
admitted into the Union as a State, and that the slave trade 
should be continued. These requests were not granted ; but 
Congress passed a bill allowing the Louisianians to elect a 
territorial legislature of twenty-five members ; and this legis- 
lature was permitted to send on to the President the names 
of ten individuals, from whom he should choose a legislative 
council or senate of five members. It was further declared 
that the Territory of Orleans should be admitted as a State 
as soon as the population amounted to 60,000. 

Something had been gained, but neither the native Louisi- 
anians nor the American settlers were satisfied. Was there 
any excuse for such treatment of the Louisianians by the 
Congress of the United States.? Had the American Govern- 
ment not promised that the inhabitants of the Territory 
should be admitted as soon as possible to the enjoyment of 
all the rights and privileges possessed by the citizens of the 
United States.? Why then should the Territory ot Orleans 
not be formed into a State, and the inhabitants permitted to 
choose their own governor and elect their own judges ? Such 
were the bitter questions asked by the Louisianians. The 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 159 

only answer of Congress was that the number of inhabitants 
in the Territory was only forty thousand, and that the great 
majority were Frenchmen and Spaniards, who were not yet 
acquainted with the laws and Constitution of the United 
States ; hence it would be wise for Orleans to serve its ap- 
prenticeship as a Territory before being admitted into the 
Union as a " sovereign State." 

This answer did not satisfy the Louisianians, and the 
old newspapers of New Orleans are filled with anonymous 
letters criticising very sharply the American Government and 
its representative, Governor Claiborne. The latter had be- 
come unpopular because he vetoed several bills passed by the 
legislature.* 

Other Causes of Discontent. — From one of Claiborne's 
letters we learn that the trial by jury, to which the Louisian- 
ians had not been accustomed under the Spanish Govern- 
ment, and which was now introduced, was at first very un- 
popular. Moreover, a number ot lawyers crowded into the 
Territory, and, by investigation of the titles to lands, and 
by sharp practice, succeeded in amassing large fortunes and 
gaining the hatred of the people, f Last, but not least, the 
introduction of the English language into the courts of jus- 
tice was a serious cause of discontent. " These courts," 
says Judge Martin, " had interpreters of the French, Span- 
' ish, and English languages. They translated the evidence, 
' and the charge of the judge when necessary, but not the 
' argument of the lawyers. The cause was opened in the 
' English language, and the jurymen who did not under- 
' stand English were then allowed to withdraw to the gal- 
' lery. The argument of the defence being in French, these 
' were then brought back ; and the rest of the jury, if they 
' were Amei'icans and did not understand French, were al- 

*It was not possible under the territorial government to pass a bill over the 
governor's veto by a two-thirds vote of the legislature, 
t Gayarre. 



160 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

** lowed to withdraw in their turn. All went together into 
" the jury room — each declaring that the argument to which 
*■'■ he had listened was the best — and they finally agreed on a 
"verdict in the best manner they could." To add to the 
confusion in the courts, the Territory of Orleans was gov- 
erned partly by a set of laws drawn up in imitatiton of the 
Code of Napoleon,* and partly by the old Spanish laws, 
which very few lawyers understood. 

Governor Claiborne, who appreciated the feelings of the 
people, and hoped that in time these feelings would change 
for the better, bore all the attacks upon himself with patience, 
and tried in every honorable way to draw over to his side 
those that opposed him. He nobly declared that the news- 
papers could not injure him as long as he did his duty, and 
that he believed the freedom of the press should be main- 
tained, even if injustice were sometimes the result. By his 
simplicity and his pleasant manners, Claiborne soon made 
many friends for himself. At first he seems to have dis- 
trusted the old inhabitants of Louisiana, and to have be- 
lieved that in case of war they would prefer the govern- 
ment of France to that of the United States ; but gradually 
his opinion changed, and he declared that the great majority 
would, under all circumstances, be loyal to the American 
Government. In the war of 1812 the conduct of the Creoles 
proved that he was right. 

QUESTIONS. 

Why was Claiborne sent to Louisiana? What was the extent of 
Louisiana? How was Louisiana divided? Who was made governor? 
Why were the people of Louisiana discontented with the new gov- 
ernment? Why did the United States decline to make Louisiana a 
State? Describe the courts of justice. Show the limits of Louisiana 
on map of 1810, and on large map of the State. 

* This Code was drawn up in France by order of Napoleon; it was based on 
tke Roman law. It is still the foundation of our civil law in Louisiana. 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 161 



CHAPTER XXIL 

DESCRIPTION OF LOWER LOUISIANA AT TIME OF 
CESSION. 

New Orleans in 1803. — The little city already had over 
Sooo inhabitants. They were, for the most part, French and 
Spanish Creoles, but the Spaniards had intermarried with the 
French, and the language of the latter was generally spoken. 
The number of the Americans was increasing daily, and 
many refugees from the island of St. Domingo sought a 
home in Louisiana. Houses were being built with great 
rapidity. Those along the river bank were the most attrac- 
tive. In a desirable street the best stores rented at eighty 
dollars a month.* 

The streets at that time, even the principal ones, were 
almost impassable. There was no paving as yet, and the 
vehicles in rainy weather sank to their hubs. A street was 
generally called by the name of the principal inhabitant, as 
the proper designations were to be found only in the city 
archives. As soon, however, as the Americans took posses- 
sion, there was a change for the better. The streets were 
raised and kept cleaner. Already the city was very prosper- 
ous. The Mississippi was crowded with barges bringing 
down the products of the rich countries above, and the mer- 
chants of New Orleans were growing wealthy. As yet there 
was no Carnival in the winter season, but splendid entertain- 
ments were numerous, and the different classes of society 
were devoted to gayety. 

The Parishes. — When Claiborne became governor of the 
Territory of Orleans, his legislative council divided it into 
twelve settlements, which at first were called counties. These 
were the counties of Orleans, German Coast, Acadia, La- 

* The increase in the value of property at the present day is shown by the fact 
that a fine store now rents at over five hundred dollars a month. 



162 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

fourche, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, Concordia, Attakapas, 
Opelousas, Rapides, Natchitoches, and Ouachita. The limits 
of these divisions were not clearly fixed, and the divisions 
themselves differed very much in size and population. Some 
were three hundred miles in extent, .and others only forty- 
five ; some contained ten times as many inhabitants as others. 
Finally, by an act of the legislature, approved March 31, 
1807, the Territory of Orleans was divided into nineteen dis- 
tricts, to which the name of " parishes " was given, from the 
fact that the old Spanish division for religious purposes was 
used as the basis in fixing the boundaries.* In no other State 
of the Union are the counties so named. Since that time it 
has been found convenient, as the population increased, to 
divide still further the larger parishes, and they now number 
fifty-nine, t 

Robin, who visited many of the Louisiana parishes in the 
early part of the century, gives us some idea of the inhab- 
itants and then' manner of life. If a traveler ascended the 
river to Pointe Coupee, he saw along the banks rich planta- 
tions, pretty houses, and numerous settlements. In the 
Parish of St. Charles a large number of Germans had set- 
tled as far back as the time of John Law and his " Missis- 
sippi Bubble." They had always been industrious, and 
many of them were now rich. Owning few slaves they fre- 
quently worked their own plantations, and from their gar- 
dens New Orleans was supplied with every kind of vege- 
table. Sixty miles above the city began the "Acadian 
Coast," where the wanderers from Nova Scotia had settled 
more than forty years before. In the early days they had 
been largely supported by supplies from the Government ; 

* Hence the names of the Saints in the designation of the old parishes. 

t The 19 parishes of 1S07 were: i. City of New Orleans, 2. St. Bernard, 3. St. 
Charles, 4. St. John the Baptist, 5. Plaquemines, 6. St. James, 7. Ascension, 8. As- 
sumption, 9, Interior Parish of Lafourche, 10, Iberville, 11, W. Baton Roug-e, 12. 
Pointe Coupee, 13. Concordia, 14. Ouachita, 15. Rapides, 16. Avoyelles, 17. Natchi- 
toches 18. St. Landry, 19. Attakapas, called Parish of St. Martin. Four more 
parishes were added from West Florida at a later period, 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 163 

but at this epoch they were very prosperous. They raised 
rice and corn, and they owned immense herds of cattle. 
Their lives were very simple, but they were as fond of danc- 
ing parties as they are at the present day. 

At Pointe Coupee, where Julien Poydras owned a large 
plantation, there were many old and aristocratic French 
settlers. They lived in great luxury, surrounded by large 
numbers of slaves, who did all the work. There were hardly 
any taverns along the banks of the river. Indeed, they were 
unnecessary, for a traveler was welcomed wherever he went ; 
and Louisianians were as famous for their hospitality in those 
days as they are at the end of the nineteenth century. 

After passing Pointe Coupee, houses became much scarcer, 
and as one ascended the river, one saw only small settle- 
ments here and there, which were protected from the Indians 
by forts. Above Baton Rouge, on the east bank of the river, 
the inhabitants were, for the most part, Americans. These 
supplied their French friends across the river with slaves and 
all kinds of provisions. Some of them had passed over to 
the west bank and settled the Red river district. In the 
prairies below the mouth of Red river, on Bayous Lafourche, 
Plaquemines, Atchafalaya, and Teche, there were, says Dr. 
Monette, numerous French settlements. In St. Bernard 
parish * and on the Amite river there were many Spaniards, 
who had come over from the Canary Islands during the 
Spanish domination. These were the Isleuos or "Islanders." 

Traffic on the Mississippi. — All kinds of craft plied on 
the river, from the cumbersome flat-boat to the swiftly glid- 
ing pirogue. When they reached New Orleans the flat-boats 
were broken up and the timber sold, it being almost impos- 
sible to haul them back against the current. In ascending the 
stream other boats made use of sails, oars, and sometimes of 
a rope dragged along the levees. The traveler making a trip 

♦ Nanie4 in honor of Bernardo de Galver, the Spanish governor. 



164 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

up the river usually engaged some Canadians or Indians as 
oarsmen. What a difference between this method of travel 
and atrip on one of our magnificent steamboats at the present 
day! 

Chief Products of the Territory in 1803. — The prod- 
ucts of Louisiana at that period seem very insignificant when 
compared with those of our time. For instance, there were 
seventy-five sugar houses in the Territory, and the whole 
yield was only five million pounds, which is equaled by a 
single plantation of to-day. The one sugar refinery of which 
the Territory boasted produced only 200,000 pounds a year, 
and as the process of refining was not well understood, the 
sugar was poor. In his history. Judge Martin tells us that 
only 20,000 bales of cotton were raised,* and that there were 
only 5000 casks of molasses. The prairies of Opelousas and 
Attakapas, however, were covered with great herds of cattle, 
and furnished New Orleans with more fresh meat than could 
be consumed. 

Domestic manufactures hardly existed at this period. The 
Acadians wove their homespun cloth as they do to-day, but 
slavery was unfavorable to the rise of factories. The slaves, 
though skilful enough in the cotton fields, seemed entirely 
unsuited for the cotton factory. 

Indians. — In 1803 there were still a number of scattered 
Indian tribes in Louisiana. On Bayou Vermilion, for in- 
stance, there v^as a village of Attakapas (man-eaters — so 
called because they were once cannibals). On the Ouachita 
and Red river were found the Caddos and the Choctaws, the 
former tribe still having a force of five hundred warriors. 
The Indians, however, seem to have given very little trouble 
to the whites, who traded with them for skins and other fruits 
of the chase. In fact, the savages were dependent upon the 
whites for the powder and ball they used in their hunting 

* The sugar crop of 1891 was 492,000,000 pounds, and the cotton crop of Louis- 
iana averages about half a million bales. 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 165 

expeditions, and they gradually lost their hatred of the "pale- 
faces." It must not be supposed, however, that they had 
been civilized by their intercourse with the white men. Cath- 
olic missionaries from the earliest times had attempted to 
convert them to Christianity, and change their savage dispo- 
sition, but they had met with very little success. The In- 
dians, from their manner of life and their traditions, were 
neither willing nor able to accept the laws of civilization. 
They possessed, however, many fine qualities, and the story 
of their gradual disappearance in Louisiana has a pathetic 
interest. The Indian women who to-day sell sassafras and 
herbs in the French market are descended from the once 
dreaded tribe of Choctaws ; while those on the Teche, who 
make the wonderful baskets, are all that are left of the Attak- 
apas.* 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell something about New Orleans in 1803. Why are the counties 
in Louisiana called /ar/5^(?5 /" Describe the German, Acadian, and 
French settlements along the Mississippi. Who are the '' Islanders ? " 
How was the Mississippi navigated before the day of steamboats ? 
What were the chief products of Louisiana ? Was there any manu- 
facturing ? Who were the Attakapas ? The Choctaws ? 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

TROUBLOUS TIMES. 

Aaron Burr. — One of the most remarkable men in the 
early part of this century was Aaron Burr. In 1800 he was 
elected Vice President of the United States, and while hold- 
ing this office he fought a duel with the famous statesman 

* A great deal was done for the Indians around New Orleans by the poet-priest, 
Father Rouquctte, who devoted his life to this work. He died in iS8^. 



166 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Alexander Hamilton, in which the latter was killed. Some 
time after this Burr made a journey through what was then 
called the Western Country. His manners were very attrac- 
tive, and he made many friends among the prominent men 
of the time. To some of these he seems to have confided 
his reasons for traveling in the West, but the exact purpose 
of his journey has never been discovered. Burr purchased 
300,000 acres of land on the Red river, and he afterwards 
declared that his only intention was to settle this vast planta- 
tion. But when, in 1806, his secret agents were to be found 
in Louisiana and Kentucky, it began to be whispered around 
that Burr was a daring conspirator. His design, according 
to some, was to invade Mexico and make himself master of 
that country. Others declared that he intended to separate 
the Southern and Western Country from the Union, and, 
seizing New Orleans, make this city the capital of a new 
Union. 

General Wilkinson, who was commander of the United 
States troops in the South, threw New Orleans into a state of 
defence, and arrested by military orders several of Burr's 
agents, who were stirring up trouble in the city. All of this 
caused the greatest excitement in New Orleans. Troops pa- 
trolled the streets, and Wilkinson felt justified in suspending 
the writ of habeas corpus^-ihat is, he arrested suspicious 
persons and refused to surrender some of them when he was 
ordered by the courts to do so. This high-handed conduct 
stirred up a violent opposition to him, for the people thought 
that the laws were sufficient to protect the city. 

In the meantime, however, Thomas Jefferson, President of 
the United States, having been informed of Burr's strange 
conduct, had issued a proclamation against him, and in 1807, 
while Burr was passing through the Mississippi Territory, 
with one hundred men in his train, he was discovered. He 
gave himself up, but afterwards escaped. A reward of two 
thousand dollars having been offered for his arrest, he was 



PROM COLONY TO STATE. 167 

captured and sent on to Richmond for trial. No act of trea- 
son, however, could be proved against him, and he was 
released. All the excitement that he had caused was soon at 
an end. 

College and Schools. — As early as the year 1805 a college 
was opened to students in New Orleans. It was situated 
near the corner of Hospital and St. Claude streets, and was 
called the College of Orleans. For twenty years it offered 
courses of instruction to the young men of that day. One of 
the most distinguished of its students was the Honorable 
Charles Gayarre, the historian of Louisiana.* 

Some years later, at the suggestion of Governor Claiborne, 
public schools were established in the different parishes, but 
so little money was given for their support that, except in 
the parish of Pointe Coupee, they did not flourish. There 
were, however, a number of private schools in New Orleans, 
which were well attended. It was not till a good many years 
later that the importance of popular education was more 
fully recognized, and larger appropriations were made for 
the public schools. 

Revolt of the Baton Rouge District.— All West Flori- 
da — that is, the district north of Lake Pontchartrain, east of 
the Mississippi, south of the 31st degree of latitude, and 
west of the Perdido river f — was claimed by the United 
States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. But Spain refused 
to give up this district, declaring that she had never yielded 
it to France, and that therefore France could not have sold 
it to the United States. Hence Spanish garrisons were still 
kept at Baton Rouge and Mobile. The inhabitants of the 
Baton Rouge district were largely Americans, who had 
come from Mississippi and Ohio. They disliked the govern- 
ment of Spain, and, as early as 1805, they had tried to seize 
the fort at Baton Rouge and expel the Spaniards ; but the 

♦Alcee Fortier, in " Memoirs of Louisiana." 

f The Perdido is the present western boundary of Florida. 



168 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

garrison was on the alert, and the attempt failed. In the 
year 1810, however, the inhabitants determined to make an- 
other attempt. One hundred and twenty men were coll-ected, 
and, under Captain Thomas and Captain Depassau, they 
marched upon Baton Rouge. The Spanish garrison con- 
sisted of one hundred and fifty men. The Americans at- 
tacked with great spirit, and the Spanish commander. Col- 
onel de Grandpre, was shot down at the head of his soldiers. 
The garrison, seeing that they had lost their leader, sur- 
rendered, and were allowed to retire to Pensacola. 

The Americans then held a convention at Baton Rouge, 
in which they declared the whole territory of West Florida 
to be *' a free and independent State.'* At their request the 
President of the United States took the new State under his 
protection.' That portion of it, however, which lay east of 
Pearl river, was left in the power of Spain until 1813, while 
the Baton Rouge district, as we shall see, was added to 
Louisiana. Its inhabitants, by a daring feat of arms, had 
won their independence, but they were well satisfied to have 
their destiny joined to that of Louisiana. 

Slave Insurrection. — The year iSii was long remem- 
bered on account of a dangerous uprising of the negroes in 
the parish of St. John. Five hundred of them formed a plot 
among themselves to march upon New Orleans, burning the 
plantation houses on their way and forcing all the slaves they 
met to join them. They provided themselves with weapons, 
and as they proceeded down the banks of the Mississippi 
with flags flying and drums beating, they chanted wild songs 
that filled with dread the hearts of the unprotected planters. 
A number of white people were put to death, but the great 
majority were warned in time, and fled to places of safety. 
As soon as the news reached New Orleans, the militia and 
the United States troops, under General Wade Hampton, 
were ordered out, and when they met the blacks, the latter 
were soon dispersed. Many of the ringleaders were con- 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 169 

demned to death, and their heads placed on lofty poles along 
the Mississippi — a dreadful warning to those who might 
attempt the same thing in the future. It is said that old ne- 
groes still living in Louisiana tell the story of this slave 
insurrection as they heard it from their fathers. 

QUESTIONS. 

Who was Aaron Burr? Why was he arrested? What was the first 
college in Louisiana? Describe- the revolt of the Baton Rouge dis- 
trict. Slave insurrection. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

LOUISIANA ADHITTED AS A STATE. 

Before Congress. — The same year (1811) permission was 
received from the Congress of the United States to call a 
convention in the Territory of Orleans for the purpose of 
drawing up a constitution. The Territory, which now had 
more than seventy-five thousand inhabitants, was at last to be 
admitted into the Union as the State of Louisiana. This 
permission, however, had not been obtained without some 
difficulty. When the question of admission was brought be- 
fore Congress, it provoked nearly as much discussion as it had 
in former years. Many members declared that the Territory 
of Orleans was almost a foreign country, and should not en- 
joy the same privileges as the original thirteen colonies. The 
inhabitants, it was said, were largely Spaniards and French- 
men, and if they were permitted to send representatives to 
Congress, these representatives would interfere with the rights 
of the Atlantic States. There could be no sympathy, it was 
declared, between the people of Louisiana and the inhabi- 
tants of the North and the East. Josiah Quincy, of Massa- 



170 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

chusetts, went so far as to say that if Louisiana were admitted 
into the Union the rest of the States would be justified in 
withdrawing from that Union, " amicably if they could, 
violently if they must." 

The Convention. — In spite, however, of this bold lan- 
guage, the bill passed, and the constitutional convention 
met at Niew Orleans, November 4, 1811. Members came 
from the whole Territory of Orleans, but not from the Baton 
Rouge district ; for this district had not yet been added by 
Act ©f Congress. 

The president of the convention was Julien Poydras, the 
rich planter of Pointe Coupee. By the 22d of January, 1812, 
the new constitution had been prepared, and being duly for- 
warded to Washington, it received the approval of Congress. 
Under this constitution Louisiana was admitted into the 
Union by Act of Congress, April 8, 1812, and the Baton 
Rouge district, as far as Pearl river, having been added a few 
days later, the boundaries of Louisiana were fixed as they 
stand at the present day. 

Claiborne Elected Governor of the State. — According 
to the new constitution, the governor was to be chosen by the 
people, instead of being appointed by the President. The 
two candidates who received the highest number of votes 
were Wm. C. C. Claiborne and James Villere, the son of 
the patriot that lost his life during O'Reilly's administration. 
As Claiborne had a larger number of votes than Villere, he 
became governor of the new State. This was certainly a 
high compliment to his services. He had been governor of 
the Territory for eight years, and now, by the choice of the 
people, he was once more raised to that high office. By his 
sterling integrity he had withstood all the attacks of his ene- 
mies and defeated all their plans. 

The first secretary of state was L. B. Macarty, a member 
of a distinguished Louisiana family. There was no lieuten- 



FROM COLONY TO STATE. 171 

ant-governor in Louisiana till a new constitution was framed 
in 1845. 

The First Steamboat. — On the loth of January, 1812, 
New Orleans was thrown into a great state of excitement by 
the announcement that a steamboat had arrived at the levee. 
It was the first ever seen on the Mississippi. Up to this time 
nothing had been known on Western waters except flat-boats, 
barges, and lighter craft. But Robert Fulton, who some years 
before had built a steamboat to run between New York and 
Albany, now drew the model of a second one to ply be- 
tween Natchez and New Orleans. It was one hundred and 
sixteen feet long and twenty feet wide, and cost thirty-eight 
thousand dollars. When this new kind of vessel left Pitts- 
burg and glided down the Ohio into the Mississippi, won- 
dering* crowds gathered along the banks and predicted that 
it would never be able to ascend the swift current. The only 
cabin passengers were N. J. Roosevelt, who was one of the 
owners, and his wife. At Cincinnati, Louisville, and Natchez 
the voyagers were received with great rejoicings. 

The trip, however, was not without its dangers. Once 
the vessel caught on fire and came near being consumed. 
Moreover, during the latter part of the year ISii, the chan- 
nel of the Mississippi was considerably changed by severe 
earthquake shocks, many of which occurred while the boat 
was making the trip ; and several times the voyagers made 
narrow escapes from immense trees which were hurled into 
the stream by these sudden movements of the earth. No 
serious accident, however, occurred, and the "New Orleans,'* 
as the vessel was named, arrived safely at the Crescent City. 
The actual time from Pittsburg was only 259 hours, which 
was considered a very quick passage in those days. 

The success of this steamboat made a great change in the 
development of the whole Western country. Cotton and other 
products began to come down the river in vast quantities, 
and New Orleans sent back all kinds of supplies. After the 



172 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

war, which now broke out, was over, the Crescent City pros- 
pered as it had never prospered before.* 

QUESTIONS. 

Why did the Northern Congressmen still object to having Louisiana 
made a State? When was Louisiana admitted as a State? Who was 
made governor, and how was he chosen? Describe the first trip of 
the first Mississippi steamboat. Tell some of the changes made by 
the use of steamboats. 



WAR OF 1812-15. 



CHAPTER XXV. 
BEFORE THE LOUISIANA CAflPAIGN. 

Causes of the War. — The Act of Congress making 
Louisiana a State had not been approved more than a few 
months when the United States declared war against Great 
Britain (June i8, 1812). The principal cause of the war 
was this : Great Britain had determined to crush Napoleon 
Bonaparte, and as she needed sailors to man her ships, she 
had boarded some nine hundred American vessels on the 
high seas and impressed into her service several thousand 
American sailors. It was claimed that these sailors had 
been born in England, and that "once an Englishman** 
meant ^'always an Englishman;" but a great many of them 
were citizens of the United States and our Government deter- 
mined to put a stop to these unjust seizures. 

The First Years of the V/ar. — For two years the war 



* It is related that an old negro at Natchez, when he saw the '• New Orleans" 
stemming the current, exclaimed : "Ole Mississippi got her massa dis time." See 
Claiborne's History ot Mississippi. 



WAR OF 1812-15. 173 

went on without any decisive battle on either side. The 
British marched up to Washington and burned the Capitol ; 
but on the sea the Americans met with brilliant success, and 
a large number of British vessels were sunk or captured. 
This was what Bonaparte had predicted, and he doubtless 
heard with great pleasure the news of our victories. In 
1814 the English decided to attack the United States on the 
north through Canada and on the south through New Or- 
leans. In September of the same year the northern army 
was defeated by the Americans, and forced to return to Can- 
ada. Another army and a fleet, however, had already 
been sent to Florida, with the intention of attacking New 
Orleans. Thus the seat of war was transferred to the Gulf 
of Mexico. 

Fort Bowyer and Pensacola. — The commander of the 
American forces in the South was General Andrew Jack- 
son,* who was destined to be the hero of the Battle of New 
Orleans. The first hostile movement of the British vessels was 
against Fort Bowyer on Mobile Point ; but Major Lawrence, 
who was in command of the fort, repulsed the attack so suc- 
cessfully that they retired to Pensacola, at that time in the 
possession of Spain. Jackson marched against Pensacola, 
and forced the English to withdraw from the town. Then 
hastening to the defence of Louisiana, he arrived in New 
Orleans December i, 18 14. 

John and Pierre Lafitte, the Smugglers. — The British 
had hoped that their designs against New Orleans were un- 
known to the Americans. But as early as September oth of 
this year (18 14), John Laffitte had warned Governor Clai- 
borne of the approaching army and naval forces. As this 
Laffitte played an important part in the conflict, we must in- 
quire who he was. 

♦Jackson was born in North Carolina, March 15,1767. He was not well edu- 
cated, but possessed great natural ability. Brave and skilful in war, he always 
won the confidence and affection of his soldiers. He was twice elected President 
of the United States, but he did not prove himself a wise statesman. 



174 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

On the southern coast of Louisiana lies a beautiful little 
island called Grande Terre. Just behind this island is Lake 
Barataria, which forms one of the safest harbors west of the 
Mississippi. On the inner coast of Grande Terre we find on 
the old maps of Louisiana one spot marked as " Smuggler's 
Anchorage." For some years before the Battle of New Or- 
leans this spot was the favorite haunt of a number of desper- 
ate men, who brought rich prizes into their little harbor and 
defied the revenue laws of the United States. Whether they 
were sailors who fitted out privateers under the flag of Car- 
thagena to seize the rich vessels of Spain, or whether they 
acted on their own account as pirates, has been disputed. It 
is certain, however, that they were smugglers, and that they 
established a kind of auction exchange at Grande Terre, 
where they sold their rich goods to any one that dared to 
come and buy them. They even sent fine stuffs to New Or- 
leans, and disposed of them through some of the merchants, 
who were induced by the large profits to violate the laws. 
The rules of the Spanish custom house had been so strict 
that many people of New Orleans had fallen into the bad 
habit of regarding smuggling as an innocent occupation. The 
most prominent of these Baratarian smugglers were Pierre 
and John Lafitte. The two brothers had come from France, 
and had opened a blacksmith shop on St. Philip street in 
New Orleans. Soon growing weary, however, of following 
this slow road to wealth, they betook themselves to Grande 
Terre, where, amid the dark bayous overhung with Spanish 
moss, they became chiefs of "a rebellious clan." Their 
swift vessels would dart out into the open sea, capture a 
Spanish ship laden with rich goods, and bring it into the bay, 
where the cargo, which cost them nothing, except perhaps a 
little bloodshed, would be sold at a price far below its value. 
It was as wild and fascinating a life as Robin Hood used to 
lead in the forests of England, when every man was a law 
unto himself. 



WAR OF 1813-15. 175 

The Governor of Louisiana, who strongly objected to these 
constant violations ot the law, declared the inhabitants of 
Barataria to be pirates and outlaws ; but for some years no 
serious attempt was made to break up this nest of evil-doers. 
On one occasion the Lafittes were tried for introducing con- 
traband goods, but they boldly employed Livingston and 
Grymes, two of the most famous lawyers in New Orleans, to 
defend them, and nothing was proved against them.* 

Finally Pierre Lafitte was arrested on another charge and 
thrown into the calaboose in New Orleans. After remaining 
there awhile he escaped in some mysterious way, and was 
soon back at Lake Barataria. During his absence important 
events had been taking place at Grande Terre. 

The British Visit John Lafitte. — Colonel Nichols, who 
was commanding the British forces, sent one of his officers 
with a letter to "Mr. Lafitte, Barataria." It was dated 
August 31, 1814, and proved to be an offer from the British 
commander to take Lafitte and his company into the English 
service. *' If you will join us with your men and vessels,'* 
said the letter, "you shall have a large sum of money, and 
" the rank of captain. After the war is over you and your 
" followers will receive large estates as a reward." 

In order to gain time to warn Claiborne of the approach- 
ing danger, Lafitte asked for two weeks to consider the 
matter. This was granted, though the British oflScer begged 
him to decide immediately. " Your brother," said he, " has 
" been put in irons by the American Government ; you your- 
" self have been declared an outlaw. Why not aid the 
" English to fight against a government that has treated you 
" so unjustly ?" 

Lafitte Writes to Claiborne. — But Lafitte secretly sent 
off to Claiborne a full account of the British plans, and asked 

* The lawyers were to receive ten thousand dollars each for their services, and 
Grymes ventured down to Barataria to collect the fees. He was well received, and 
the money was promptly paid. See Gayarre, in Mag. Amer. Hist, 



176 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

permission to serve his adopted country against the enemy. 
As a sign of his repentance he described himself as a stray 
sheep that wished to return to the fold. It was about this 
time that Pierre Lafitte escaped from prison, and when he 
reached Grande Terre he also wrote to a gentleman in New 
Orleans, approving what his brother had done, and asking 
to be taken into the service of Louisiana. No answer was 
sent to these letters, and the Lafittes kept the English officer 
waiting until he began to suspect some snare, and sailed 
away. 

Expedition Against the Lafittes. — In the meantime . 
Claiborne had called a council of officers (General Jackson 
had not yet arrived) to decide whether the smugglers should 
be pardoned and taken into the American service. The ma- 
jority of the officers voted to have no friendly communication 
with the Lafittes. Therefore, instead of returning a favora- 
ble answer, a body of troops under Commodore Patterson 
was sent to break up the settlement at Barataria. The expe- 
dition was successful and a large amount of rich booty was 
seized. The two brothers, however, escaped to the German 
settlement on the Mississippi, whence they afterwards fled to 
Last Island, which lies south of Terrebonne parish. 

Lafitte Visits Jackson. — When General Jackson arrived 
in New Orleans, John Lafitte paid him a visit, and again 
offered his services and those of the other Baratarian outlaws. 
The stern General had once declared that the Lafittes were a 
set of bandits with whom he would have no dealings. But 
now that he found himself face to face with the daring out- 
law, he seems to have been won over by his manly bearing 
and his attractive manners. Jackson liked a brave man, and 
he knew that he needed every one he could find to defend the 
city of New Orleans. So he accepted the services of the 
Baratarians. Some of them were placed at the forts on the 
Rigolets ; others at Fort St. Philip; while Captain Domi- 
nique (who afterwards lived for many years in New Orleans), 



WAR OF 1812-I5. 177 

commanded an important battery on the field of Chalmette. 
Everywhere that they were placed the Baratarians fought 
like tigers. Jackson himself admired their courage so much 
that, it is said, he never failed to stop and chat with them 
wherever he saw them. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the cause of the war of 1812? What happened during 
the first years of the war? Who was Andrew Jackson? How did the 
English begin operations in the South? Who were the Lafittes? 
Why did Lafitte write to Claiborne? Tell of the expedition to Bara- 
taria. What was the result of Lafitte's visit to Jackson? Find Bara- 
taria Bay on large map of Louisiana. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE BRITISH IN LOUISIANA. 

Jackson in New Orleans.— We have seen that Jackson 
reached New Orleans December i. Governor Claiborne 
had already been very active in organizing the militia to meet 
the British invasion. His proclamations had stirred the 
patriotism of the people, and every one was ready to do his 
duty.* As Louisiana had become a self-governing State, 
all classes felt that they had a common interest in protecting 
her. It was soon seen that Jackson was the right man to 
defend New Orleans. Though his constitution was weak- 
ened by constant sickness, his energy was untiring. He 
seemed to rise above bodily weakness by means of his in- 
domitable spirit. Wherever he went he inspired the inhab- 

*The following incident is given by Major I^atour, who served under Jackson: 
"Madame Bienvenu, a rich widow of Attakapas, afler sending her four sons to the 
defence of their State, wrote to Governor Claiborne that she regretted having no 
other sons to offer her country, but that if her services in taking care of the 
wounded should be thought useful, notwithstanding her advanced ege and the great 
distance of her residence, she would hasten to New Orleans." 



178 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

itants with confidence. "The streets," says Latour, "re- 
sounded with Yankee Doodle, the Marseilles Hymn,* and 
other martial airs, while those who had long been unaccus- 
tomed to military duty were polishing up their arms and 
preparing for battle. The women of New Orleans pre- 
sented themselves at the windows and balconies to applaud 
the troops in their evolutions and to encourage their hus- 
bands, sons, fathers, or brothers to protect them from the 
insults of the enemy." 

On the day of his arrival Jackson reviewed the militia 
companies of Creoles and Frenchmen, and declared that he 
was much pleased with their appearance and manoeuvres. 
Besides the white companies, two battalions were formed of 
the " free-men-of-color," who were put under distinguished 
white officers, and who were afterwards highly complimented 
by Jackson for their bravery. 

Defences. — With many hundred miles of sea coast, Lou- 
isiana was almost without defences ; for the various forts 
were in a bad condition. However, Jackson strengthened, 
as best he could. Fort St. Philip, Spanish Fort, and a fort 
on the Rigolets called Petites Coquilles (now Fort Pike). 
There was not enough ammunition, and arms were so scarce 
that he ordered private houses to be searched for fowling- 
pieces. At his suggestion, moreover, an order was given 
that all the bayous leading into the interior should be closed 
with logs or other obstructions, so that the English vessels 
could not pass. Unfortunately one important bayou was 
neglected, and the consequences were very serious. 

Battle of Lake Borgne, December 14, 1814. — To pro- 
tect the entrance to Lake Pontchartrain, there were on Lake 
Borgne five United States gunboats. These were under 
Lieutenant Thos. Ap Catesby Jones, and were armed with 
twenty-three guns and one hundred and eighty-two men. As 
soon as Jones saw the English fleet approaching from Ship 

*The national hymn of France, 



WAR OF 1812-I5. 179 

Island, he decided to retire towards the Rigolets. But when 
he reached a point about fifteen miles off, he found the water 
so low that he had to cast anchor and await the enemy. The 
British sent against him a little fleet of forty-five barges and 
launches, armed with forty-three cannon and more than one 
thousand men. Though this force was far superior to his 
own, Jones made a fierce resistance, and many of the enemy's 
barges were sunk. But finally he himself was wounded in 
the shoulder, and the British, boarding the gunboats, cap- 
tured them all. Their loss, however, was about three hun- 
dred, while the Americans had only ten killed and thirty-five 
wounded. 

Martial Law. — The report of this disaster reached Jack- 
son on the following day, and having heard that there were 
some British spies in New Orleans, he promptly declared 
the city to be under strict martial law. This meant that the 
city was to be controlled by the military orders of the Gen- 
eral himself. Such a regulation was doubtless necessary at 
the time, but it will be seen that trouble grew out of it later 
on. 

Landing of the British. — After the battle on Lake 
Borgne, the British decided to land some of their forces and 
march towards New Orleans. As they knew that their army 
was twice as large as that of the Americans, they expected 
to meet with very little resistance, and they actually imagined 
that the Creoles would come over to their side. We shall 
soon see what a mistake they made. 

Bayou Bienvenu, leading from Lake Borgne to the plan» 
tations just below the city, had for some unknown reason 
been overlooked by the Americans, and there were no ob- 
structions at its mouth. Some Spanish fishermen, who lived 
near by, doubtless acted as guides to the invading forces. 
About sixteen hundred men and two pieces of artillery were 
landed and placed in barges, which were silently rowed up 
the bayou. General Jackson had sent out some pickets to 



180 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

watch the movements of the enemy, but these, bein^ taken 
unaware by the British, were all captured except one who 
escaped through the marshes. 

The British had never before seen a Louisiana marsh. As 
they gazed around upon the tall reeds and the "trembling 
prairies," with no human being and no dwelling in sight, 
they declared that they had never beheld a more desolate 
country. It was just the kind of country, however, that they 
needed to conceal their movements. Their plan was to reach 
solid ground and then send the boats back for reinforcements 
from the ships. So during the morning hours of December 
23rd they rowed up the bayou until they came to General 
Villere's plantation, about nine miles from New Orleans. 
Sending out detachments, they surrounded Villere's house and 
captured two of his sons, who were stationed there with some 
troops. The elder of these. Major Villere, jumped through 
a window, and though he was fired at several times, he es- 
caped, and was one of the first to inform Jackson of the 
enemy's approach. 

The British now marched towards the river and camped 
on Villere's and LaRonde's plantations, within nine miles of 
the city. They took their time, for they felt confident of 
capturing New Orleans whenever they chose to advance. 

They then drew up a proclamation, which was signed by 
the British commander, and copies of which were posted on 
all the fences. It was in these words: "Louisianians, re- 
" main quiet in your houses. Your slaves shall be preserved 
" to you and your property respected. We make war only 
" against Americans. " This proclamation excited nothing 
but indignation among the Creoles ; they were more deter- 
mined than ever to show the British that they were not trai- 
tors, but patriots. 

Jackson Marches to Meet the Enemy. — General Jack- 
son was quietly sitting in his headquarters at New Orleans 
when Major Villere and two other gentlemen came rushing 



WAR OF 1S12-15. 181 

in to inform him that the British were approaching. When 
the General heard this news, it is said that he started up, and 
striking the table with his fist, cried out: "By the Eternal, 
they shall not sleep on our soil." As we shall see, no British 
soldier closed his eyes that night. 

All the available troops under Jackson's command were 
ordered to march out to meet the enemy. The General took 
a position in the lower part of the city, where the mint now 
stands, to see the battalions go by. The right, composed of 
eight hundred and eighty-four men, was to be commanded 
by Jackson liimself. Then came Major Flau?he's battalion 
of Frenchmen and Creoles ; next, the free-men-of-color under 
Major D'Aquin, and next, the left, under General Coffee, 
which was composed of Tennesseeans, Mississippians, and 
the Orleans Rifle Company. 

Jackson's whole force was only two thousand, one hun- 
dred and thirty-one men. 

Commodore Patterson, of the United States navy, was or- 
dered by Jackson to let two gunboats, the Carolina and the 
Louisiana drop down the river and bombard the enemy. 
As there was little wind, the Louisiana^ which was a heavy 
vessel, could not be steered ; and so the Carolina^ which was 
much lighter, sailed down alone and took up her position op- 
posite the British camp. 

In the meantime it had grown dark, and when the British 
saw the Carolina they thought she might be one of their own 
cruisers, and hailed her from the levee. All at once they 
heard some one on board cry: " Give them this for the honor 
of America! " Then the guns flashed out, and a deadly hail 
of shot swept over the British camp, and in ten minutes cov- 
ered the ground with dead bodies. Those who were able, 
rushed to take refuge under the levee, where they lay for an 
hour shivering in the dark, but afraid to move. 

Suddenly the rapid firing of the pickets informed the Eng-* 
lish that the Americans were attacking them on the land side. 



182 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Rushing to their arms, they defended themselves as best they 
could. At first the contest was in the dark, but the moon, 
then in her first quarter, afterwards gave a feeble light. The 
fighting lasted from 7 o'clock till 9:30. 

During the battle the English landed and brought up addi- 
tional troops till they had about five thousand on the field. 
Both sides fought with great bravery, but the advantage re- 
mained with the Americans. The English fell back to their 
camp, where they passed the night under arms. Jackson, fear- 
ing that he might come within range of the Carolina' s guns, 
stopped his men. His loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners 
was two hundred and thirteen, while the English lost over 
four hundred. For the most part it was a hand-to-hand con- 
test. An English ofBcer, who afterwards went over the field, 
declares that in some places he found two soldiers lying dead 
together, each pierced with the other's bayonet. 

Jackson was seen in the very front of the battle, exposing 
himself to every danger, and exhorting his men until their 
courage rose to the level of his own. 

This bold attack on the British saved New Orleans. If 
the enemy had been allowed to march forward with their 
large army, Jackson would not have had time to build the 
fortifications necessary to resist them. But after the battle 
of the 23d of December, the British, seeing that the way was 
not open and that the Creoles would not join them, did not 
venture to advance till they had received large reinforcements. 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell about Jackson's arrival in New Orleans. How did he defend 
the citv? Describe the battle of Lake Borgne. What is martial law? 
Describe the landing of the British. Describe the battle of Decem- 
ber 23. 



WAR OF l8 13-15. 1^^ 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 

Preliminary Skirmishing. — Jackson now fell back two 
miles nearer the city and fortified the Rodrigues canal on 
the plain of Chalmette. The English spent the next few days 
in bringing up more troops, landing heavy artillery, and pre- 
paring for a vigorous campaign. This delay was fatal to 
them, for it gave Jackson time to build those terrible breast- 
works which the English long remembered. 

Until the 25th instant, the British had been commanded 
by General Keane ; but on Christmas morning the army was 
delighted by the arrival of the commander-in-chief. Sir Ed- 
ward Pakenham, brother-in-law of that famous Duke of 
Wellington who, some months later, was to overthrow Na- 
poleon at Waterloo. 

The Louisiana^ the other American war ship, had now 
dropped down the river and anchored above the Carolina, 
As these two vessels rendered any advance very dangerous, 
Pakenham's first step was to attack them. Bringing up his 
artillery, he threw red-hot shot at the Carolina until she 
took fire and blew up. The crew, however, escaped, and 
the Loziisiana, Ending herself in danger, succeeded in sailing 
up the river. 

On the 27th of December the British troops advanced once 
more as if to attack the breastworks that Jackson was com- 
pleting along the Rodrigues canal. But it was a useless at- 
tempt ; for the American batteries poured a heavy fire into 
their ranks and forced them to retire. 

On the 31st instant, Pakenham threw up embankments in 
front of the American lines, and having placed his heaviest 
artillery, he prepared to silence the American guns. The 
morning of January i, 1815, dawned upon a thick Louisiana 
fog; but as soon as the mist cleared away both sides began a 



184 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 




WAR OF 1812-15. 185 

tremendous cannonading, which was continued till late in the 
afternoon. The Americans proved themselves so much more 
skilful in the use of artillery that the English despaired of 
overcoming them by this method of fighting. Nearly all the 
British batteries were silenced. 

Arrival of the Kentuckians. — On January 5th the Ken- 
tucky militia arrived in New Orleans, and were put under 
the command of Major-General John Thomas. These troops, 
however, as well as many soldiers from other States, were in 
want of proper clothing to protect them from the intense 
cold and the rains of the month of January. " TheLegisla- 
" ture of Louisiana," says Latour in his history, "voted six 
" thousand dollars, and this amount was increased to sixteen 
*' thousand dollars by the private subscriptions of the New 
" Orleans Volunteers and the inhabitants of Attakapas and 
" the German Coast. With some of this money blankets 
" were bought, and the ladies of New Orleans quickly made 
" them into clothes. The rest was expended in the purchase 
" of shoes, mattresses, and other necessities, till all the needy 
" soldiers were well provided." In this noble way did Lou- 
isiana show her gratitude to those who had come to her de- 
fence. 

Preparations for the Fight. — The 8th of January was 
the day chosen by the British to decide the fate of New Or- 
leans and Louisiana. From the first of that month to the 
seventh they had busied themselves in digging out and ex- 
tending Villere's canal till it reached the Mississippi. It was 
Pakenham's intention to transport a body of troops on barges 
through this canal and land them on the opposite bank of the 
river. Colonel Thornton, who was put in command of these 
troops, was directed to cross the river before day on the 
morning of January 8, seize the American batteries on the 
right bank, and turn them against Jackson's lines as soon as 
Pakenham's army advanced. Unfortunately for Thornton, 
his barges stuck in the heavy mud of the canal, and when he 



186 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

reached the other bank with six hundred men, day had 
dawned and he was too late to render any assistance to 
Pakenham. 

Jackson's Line. — Jackson's breastworks, which were one 
mile long, extended from the Mississippi back to a cypress 
swamp. They were thrown up behind an old mill race, or 
canal, which separated the plantation of Rodrigues from that 
of Chalmette.* At first some bales of cotton had been used 
to strengthen portions of the embankment, but this inflam- 
mable stuff had been set on fire by the enemy's shot, and the 
heavy Louisiana mud was found to be far more useful. t In 
some places the works were twenty feet across the top and 
seven feet high, in others they covered the men only to the 
breast. The long line was defended by eight batteries and 
3200 men. In the rear there were 800 more troops, consisting 
of the Mississippi cavalry and Attakapas dragoons, to act as 
a reserve and rearguard. 

The line of 3300 was composed of various bodies of troops. 
Among them may be mentioned the uniformed militia of 
Creoles, under Major Plauche ; Captain Beale's company of 
riflemen, stationed near the river, and the two battalions of 
free-men-of-color, under Lacoste and D'Aquin. Further 
on were the Kentuckians and Tennesseeans, under Major 
General Carroll and General Coffee ; nor must we forget 
the Baratarian privateers under Captain Dominique, who 
commanded Battery No. 3. 

The Fight. — Long before dawn on the morning of the 
8th, the Americans, lying in their intrenchments, had heard 
sounds in the British camp which told them there was to be 
an attack on their lines. They waited calmly for the sun to 
rise and show them the enemy. It was a cold foggy morn- 
ing. At dawn two rockets went up from the British camp. 
They were the signal of attack. The mist that covered the 

* Alexander Walker's Life of Jackson. 

t Hence the old story that Jackson fought behind cotton bales on January 8th is a 
mistake. 



WAR OF 1812-I5. 187 

plains as with a veil slowly lifted, and revealed the English 
columns approaching under General Gibbs. In front was 
the famous 44th regiment, composed largely o£ Irish soldiers. 
It was intended that these should bring up bundles of sugar 
cane to fill up the canal, and short ladders to mount the 
American fortifications. But by the negligence of their col- 
onel they came unprovided, and had to be sent back to get 
them. Before they could fall back, however, the American 
batteries had opened upon them a murderous fire, which 
cut great gaps in their ranks. Jackson was everywhere along 
his lines, crying out: " Stand to your guns; don't waste 
your ammunition; see that every shot tells!" The Ten- 
nesseeans and Kentuckians came forward in turn and 
poured a shower of bullets into the advancing British col- 
umns, while the American batteries on the other side of the 
river broke the enemy's lines with their shells. The effect 
was terrible ; the field in front of Jackson's works was strewed 
with dead bodies. The 44th, headed by Pakenham him- 
self, now advanced ; but what could bravery do against 
opponents that never showed themselves, while they swept 
the field with volley after volley of grape-shot and shell and 
bullet? All that was left of Gibbs' command had to give 
way, and Keane brought to the front his splendid body of 
troops, headed by the Scottish Highlanders. As these gal- 
lant soldiers swept forward, Pakenham raised himself in his 
stirrups and cheered them.* But all was in vain. Out of the 
body nine hundred strong that advanced, only one hundred 
and thirty left that bloody field alive. Pakenham himself, as 
he bravely led his men, was wounded in the arm ; but still he 
pressed forward. Suddenly a shell burst near by, killing 
his horse and wounding him in the thigh. He fell into 
the arms of his aid, and, as he was raised up, another shot 
struck him. Borne to the shelter of an oak near by, the 
young commander-in-chief expired before he witnessed the 

* Walker's Life of Jackson. 



188 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



total defeat of his army. Nor did the other principal officers 
escape. Gibbs received a mortal wound and welcomed death 
as a release from pain, while Keane was wounded too 
severely to take command. 

Still the British pushed forward under Major Wilkinson, 
who succeeded in climbing to the top of the American forti- 
fications. Here he too fell, pierced by twenty bullets. His 




pakenham's oak. 

men were glad to fall upon their faces in the muddy canal 
and thus escape the hail of lead. Near the levee the 
British, under a brave officer named Rennie, rushed forward 
and captured the redoubt that guarded this point. But to 
take it was one thing, and to hold it another. The Ameri- 
can riflemen soon forced them to retire with the loss of their 
commander. 

General Lambert, who on Pakenham's death became com- 
mander-in-chief, brought up his reserve to shelter the columns 
as they fell back, but he did not venture to renew the attack 
on Jackson's lines. As the British retired, the American 
artillery continued to fire upon them, and the cannonading 
did not cease till 2 o'clock in the afternoon. 

The Contest on the Right Bank. — Jackson had placed 
General Morgan on the right bank to oppose the advance of 



WAR OF 1812-I5. 189 

the British. Morgan's position, though it was protected by 
a canal, was not a strong one, and could easily be turned by 
the enemy. His force was composed partly of Louisiana and 
partly of Kentucky troops — in all about six hundred men. 
These troops, however, seem to have been without disci- 
pline, and General Morgan did not manage them wisely. On 
the morning of the 8th, as we have seen. General Thornton 
crossed the river with about six hundred men. He immedi- 
ately began to advance up the right bank towards Morgan's 
lines. Almost no resistance was offered by the Americans. 
The Kentuckians fled in disorder, and were followed by the 
rest of Morgan's command. 

The British, however, when they heard of Pakenham's 
defeat on the other bank, retired across the river, and the 
Americans occupied their former position. The flight of 
Morgan's troops, though they seem to have had some excuse 
for their conduct, brought a sharp rebuke from General 
Jackson, who did not understand how an American could 
retire before an Englishman. 

British and American Losses. — An English writer who 
was present at the battle of New Orleans, states that Pakenham 
had seven thousand men on the field, and lost two thousand. 
Jackson lost only eight killed and thirteen wounded ! 

Fort St. Philip. Retreat of British.— The British fleet 
sailed up the Mississippi and attacked Fort St. Philip, but it 
was so bravely defended by the Americans under Major 
Overton that, though the English bombarded it from the 9th 
to the 18th of January, they were unable to take it. Finally, 
on the iSth, they retired down the river. On the same day 
General Lambert commenced his retreat across the marshes 
to Lake Borgne. He had given up all hope of taking New 
Orleans. 

QUESTIONS. 

Who commanded the British? What was Pakenham's first step? 
Tell about the arrival of the Kentuckians. Give the date of the Battle 



190 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



of New Orleans. How did the British prepare for the battle? Did 
Jackson fight behind cotton bales? What troops fought under Jack- 
son? Describe the battle. Tell about the contest on the right bank. 
What were the losses on both sides? Describe the retreat of the 
British. Point out on the map the position of the British and the 
Americans. 



-♦-♦- 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 
AFTER THE BATTLE. 



Rejoicings in New Orleans. — What had been happening 



in the city during this time.? 







■m^f 



Jackson's statue. 



field no message had come. 



The roar of the cannon on the 
morning of the 8th had been 
distinctly heard by the inhabi- 
tants. Some veterans, who 
were no longer fit for active 
service in the field, had been 
left to defend the city ; but the 
women and children were in a 
state of great excitement. Few 
persons believed that Jackson 
would be able to resist such a 
splendid army as Pakenham 
was known to have. There 
was a rumor, moreover, that 
the British had sworn to give 
over the city to a pillage of the 
most dreadful kind. Every 
one trembled at the thought of 
such a fate. From the battle- 
Suddenly, however, the sound 



of a horse's hoofs was heard, and a messenger, almost breath^ 



WAR OF 1812-15. 191 

less, galloped through the streets, crying: "Victory! Vic- 
tory ! Pakenham is defeated ! Hurrah for General Jackson ! " 

Then the people poured out into the public square, and 
there was shouting and rejoicing such as had never been 
heard before in New Orleans. Not only had Jackson won a 
great victory, but he had lost only a few of his brave sol- 
diers ; and had not these met a glorious death in dying for 
their country? 

All hatred of the English was lost in pity. The wounded 
British soldiers were brought up to the city on the steam- 
boat, and everything was done for their comfort. Many of 
them were nursed by the colored women of New Orleans, 
who volunteered their services. 

The Treaty of Peace. — Two weeks before the battle of 
New Orleans a treaty of peace between Great Britain and 
America had been signed at Ghent in Belgium ; but alas ! 
this was not known in Louisiana till February loth. For the 
war took place before there was any telegraph and before a 
steamer had ever crossed the Atlantic, so that news traveled 
very slowly. 

Jackson's Praise of His Troops. — On January 21st, 
Jackson issued general orders praising in the highest terms 
the conduct of the soldiers under his charge. The volunteers 
from the other States were thanked for their brave services, 
as were also the Creoles, many of whom he mentioned by 
name. The free-men-of-color, he declared, had acted with 
courage and perseverance ; and the Baratarians, under the 
Lafittes and Dominique, had all deserved the thanks of the 
country. At his suggestion, the President of the United 
States pardoned the Baratarians for all their past misdeeds. 

Jackson^s Reception in New Orleans. — The 23d of Jan- 
uary was appointed as a day of thanksgiving for the great 
victory. A triumphal arch was erected in the middle of the 
large square in which Jackson's equestrian statue now stands. 
The scene that followed is thus described by an eye-witness, 



192 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Major Latour: "The windows and balconies of the city 
*' hall (the old Cabildo) and all the adjacent buildings were 
" filled with spectators. When General Jackson, accom- 
" panied by the officers of his staff, arrived at the entrance 
" of the square, he was requested to proceed to the cathe- 
" dral by the way prepared for him. As he passed under the 
" arch he received crowns of laurel from two children, and 
" was congratulated in an address spoken by Miss Kerr, who 
" represented the State of Louisiana. The General then pro- 
" ceeded to the church amidst the salutations of young ladies 
" representing the different States, who strewed his passage 
" with flowers. At the entrance of the church he was re- 
" ceived by the Abbe Dubourg, who conducted him to a seat 
" prepared for him near the altar. Te Deum was chanted 
" with solemnity, and soon after a guard of honor attended 
" the General to his quarters; and in the evening the town, 
" with its suburbs, was splendidly illuminated.*' 

The Trial of Jackson. — It would be pleasant to record 
that General Jackson left New Orleans with the praises of 
the whole population ringing in his ears. But such was not 
the case. By a mistake of the authorities at Washington the 
General did not receive official notice that the Treaty of 
Peace had been ratified by Congress till March 13th, 18 15. 
It is true that he had heard the news of the peace on the loth 
of February ; but as he believed in strict discipline, he in- 
sisted on keeping New Orleans under martial law till the 
official notice reached him ; and he even went so far as to ar- 
rest Dominic Hall, judge of the District Court, who had dis- 
pleased him. 

After the official notice arrived the hero of Chalmette was 
summoned before Judge Hall, and fined one thousand dollars 
for having made an " unnecessary and arbitrary use of martial 
law." This fine the General promptly paid. As he left the 
Court House his friends hauled a carriage to the door, and, 
forcing the General to enter, they dragged him in triumph to 



WAR OF l8l2-Ii 



193 



a neighboring coffee-house. Here he made a speech, which 
concluded with these noble words: "Considering obedi- 
" ence to the laws, even when we think them unjustly ap- 



^, 











COURT HOUSE IN WHICH JACKSON WAS TRIED. 

'* plied, as the first duty of every citizen, I do not hesitate to 
" comply with the sentence you have heard pronounced. Re- 
" member the example I have given you of respectful sub- 
" mission to the administration of justice."* 

QUESTIONS. 

How did New Orleans receive the news of Jackson's victory ? If 
the telegraph had been in use at this time, would the Battle of New 
Orleans have been fought ? How was Jackson received in New Or- 
leans ? Tell about Jackson's trial. What did Jackson say about 
obedience to law ? 

* Soon after this General Jackson left Louisiana. When he visited New Or- 
leans again in 1S2S, he came as the guest of the State, and was received as a 
national hero. In the same year he was elected President of the United States. 
In 1S45 Congress paid back to him the fine of one thousand dollars, with interest 
for thirty years ; the Legislature of Louisiana offering at the same time to give the 
required amount out ot the State Treasury. A few years later a splendid eques- 
trian statue of the General was placed in the old Place D'Armes, which was re- 
christened "Jackson Square." 



194 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

GROWTH OF THE STATE. 

James Villere, Governor. 1816-1820. — After the British 
retired from Louisiana, no war came for many years to dis- 
turb the peace and happiness of the State, and Louisiana 
began to enjoy a period of wonderful prosperity. As soon 
as the soldiers who had served under Jackson laid down their 
arms, they returned to their various occupations and went to 
work with a new spirit. The fame of Louisiana's fertile 
lands had spread in all directions ; and very soon settlers 
from Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia came crowding 
in to find homes in the new State. For many years, how- 
ever, no great events took place ; as we glance over the 
period, there seems to be nothing worth relating. But if we 
look more closely we find that what an English historian calls 
a " noiseless revolution " was going on. It was the revolution 
caused by the increase of population and the development of 
industries. In 1815 the population of the State, white and 
black, was only 90,000, but in 1820 it had grown to 153,407. 
Sugar and cotton were produced in greater quantities ; and 
before many years had passed new methods of refining sugar 
had made this staple more profitable than ever before. 

In 1816 Claiborne's term as governor came to an end. For 
twelve years he had held this office ; and as a mark of their 
esteem for his high qualities, the legislature, in 1817, elected 
him as a representative of Louisiana in the United States 
Senate. A few months afterwards, however, he died. His 
successor as governor was General James Villere, a Creole, 
who had distinguished himself alike in war and peace. It 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 



195 




will be remembered that he was a rival candidate in the elec- 
tion of 1812. 

Governor Villere found that 
with the new population a 
great many persons of bad 
character had slipped into the 
State, and that the morals of 
New Orleans needed correc- 
tion. Measures were quickly 
taken to put down all lawless- 
ness in the city by establishing 
a Criminal Court and by pass- 
ing severe regulations. By 
this means good order seems 
to have been very soon re- 
stored, for we hear no further 
complaint of the evil-doers. 

Yellow Fever and Overflow. — The only things that in- 
terrupted the prosperity of the State at this time were the 
yellow fever and the overflows of the Mississippi, both of 
which came with terrible regularity. There was a great deal 
of discussion in regard to the necessity of building better 
levees, but very little work seems to have been done. In 
fact the native inhabitants appear to have regarded the over- 
flows and fever as a matter of fate — something that could 
not be avoided. Moreover those who were acclimated soon 
ceased to fear the fever ; its victims were to be found chiefly 
among the new settlers. According to Gayarre, many of the 
old Creoles even welcomed its coming, because they hoped it 
would keep out the bustling, pushing Americans, who threat- 
ened to take possession of the State. This jealous feeling 
toward the Americans continued for some years, and kept 
the Creoles a kind of separate race in Louisiana. Finally, 
however, the two mingled freely, and all ill-feeling was for- 



GOVERNOR JAMES VILLERE. 



196 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

gotten. In our day it is hard to believe that any such trouble 
ever existed ; for the Creoles, though they like to preserve 
the French language, take pride in being Americans, and 
welcome settlers from all parts of the Union. 

Banks and Speculation. — The business of New^ Orleans 
increased with the prosperity of the State. Great warehouses 
were built, fine residences were seen on every hand, and city 
property rose rapidly in value. As forty millions of dollars 
had been invested in sugar plantations, many banks were 
necessary for the large transactions that were taking place. 
In 1818 the Bank of Louisiana, with a capital of two mil- 
lions, had been incorporated. Others soon followed, and 
every one was eager to take stock in them. Unfortunately, 
however, this craze for new banks went too far. As these 
institutions lent money freely, the planters borrowed large 
sums on their lands, and, as the money seemed easy to get, 
they spent it lavishly. On their estates they displayed a 
splendid hospitality and lived like princes. The State itself 
took shares in the new banks, and for a time all went well. 
But soon there was a period of wild speculation. Property 
in and around New^ Orleans was bought at prices far exceed- 
ing its value ; even the swamp lands back of the city, which 
were useless for any purpose, were eagerly purchased by 
speculators. 

The banks had been allowed to issue notes, which were 
accepted as money ; for it was supposed that there was suffi- 
cient specie in their vaults to exchange for these notes when- 
ever the holders wished to have them redeemed. Finally, 
however, there was what is now called a " panic." It was 
discovered that the banks had gone far beyond their means, 
and were not able to redeem their notes. In the year 1837, 
the crisis came, and in one day fourteen banks suspended. 
Of course the paper money became of no value, and many 
persons were ruined. Property that during these times of 
rash speculation had risen very high, now fell very low. But 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 197 

this bitter experience taught every one to be more cautious 
in conducting business, and the general prosperity of the 
State was not long interrupted. As nothing could prevent 
the rich soil from producing fine crops of sugar and cotton, 
and as a ready market w^as found for these staples, the plant- 
ers rapidly recovered from the " panic." * 

Lafayette. — In the year 1825, the Marquis de la Fayette, 
the distinguished Frenchman who had fought for the inde- 
pendence of America in the Revolution of i77^? came over 
to the United States. He was received everywhere with 
great honor, and was invited by the people of Louisiana to 
visit their State. He consented, and on the 9th of April he 
arrived at Chalmette field. Here he was met by a committee 
of citizens and escorted to the city. The State legislature 
having voted fifteen thousand dollars for his entertainment, 
the old Cabildo on Jackson Square was fitted up as a resi- 
dence. In this historic building Lafayette received the citi- 
zens, who came in great numbers to do him honor. Tri- 
umphal arches were erected ; there were many splendid ban- 
quets ; and the city gave itself up to enjoyment. Louisiana 
had not been one of the American colonies in 1776, but the 
Spanish governor of that day, it will be remembered, had 
aided the struggling colonies as much as he could ; and now, 
in 1835, the people of Louisiana wished to shoW that they 
joined the rest of America in their love and respect for this 
noble " guest of the nation." After leaving New Orleans 
Lafayette ascended the Mississippi river. Everywhere that 
he stopped he was received with the highest honors. The 
United States Government presented him with the sum of 
two hundred thousand dollars and a large tract of land in 
Florida. 

The Capital Removed. — In the same year (1835) an act 
of the legislature was passed to remove the Capital from 

* Our present State National Banks, which issue paper money secured by bonds 
deposited in the U, S. Treasury, and which consequently can not refuse to redeem 
their notes, were not established until 1S63. 



198 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

New Orleans to Donaldsonville. This was done partly be- 
cause the country parishes wished a more central location 
than New Orleans, and partly because it was thought that 
the legislators would do their work better in a quiet country 
town than in a gay city. The sum of five thousand dollars 
was expended on a building in Donaldsonville, and the trans- 
fer was made. But the legislators found the little town so 
dull after the pleasant life to which they had been accus- 
tomed, that they longed to return. Finally, in 183 1, they 
adjourned the house one day, and taking the steamboat, were 
soon back in the Crescent City, which thus became the Cap- 
ital once more.* 
--^ First Railroad. — Before it left Donaldsonville, the legis- 
lature passed an act incorporating the Pontchartrain Railroad 
Company. This railroad is the oldest in Louisiana, and the 
second that was completed in the United States. It is still in 
existence, and connects New Orleans with the pleasant little 
town of Milneburg. Some years passed before other rail- 
roads were built. 

New Orleans Lighted by Gas. — Just four years later 
(1834), New Orleans was for the first time lighted by gas. 
Up to this time, as we learn from old newspapers, the privi- 
lege of furnishing oil and matches to light the city had been 
sold every year to the lowest bidder. When gas was intro- 
duced it was soon found that the increase of light diminished 
very much the number of crimes committed on the streets at 
night. But it is only since the introduction of electricity 
within the last ten years, that it has been clearly shown that 
plenty of light will do as much to free a city from criminals 
as will the best of laws. 



* New Orleans remained the Capital till 1849, when the legislature met for the 
first time in Baton Rouge, which had been made the seat of government. After 
the Civil War the legislature assembled in New Orleans till 1882 when a transfer 
to Baton Rouge once more took place. 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 199 



QUESTIONS. 



Tell about the noiseless revolution in Louisiana. Who succeeded 
Claiborne as governor? What interrupted the prosperity of the 
State? What caused the bank failures in 1837? Who was Lafayette? 
How was he honored on his return to America? Why was the Capital 
removed from New Orleans? What was the first railroad in Louisiana? 



CHAPTER XXX. 
GROWTH OF THE STATE — CONTINUED. 

During the period which we have been reviewing Louisi- 
ana was blessed with a succession of excellent governors. 
As there was little political strife in these times, and as the 
State was generally very prosperous, some modern writers 
bave named^tjiis period the " Golden Age of Louisiana." 

Public Domain. — In 1820 Governor Villere was succeeded 
Dy Thos. B. Robertson, a distinguished lawyer, who greatly 
endeared himself to the people by his wise and useful ad- 
ninistration. After nearly four years' service he retired,* 
ind the governor's chair was occupied from 1824-28 by 
Henry Johnson, who had previously held a seat in the United 
States Senate. The messages of these governors declare that 
:he State was then in a prosperous condition ; but they con- 
:ain constant complaints of the United States authorities for 
:heir management of the public lands in Louisiana. In 
naking Louisiana a State the Government at Washington had 
•eserved for itself large tracts of land that were not then oc- 
:upied. As the population increased, the State Government 
A^ished to get possession of these lands, which were becoming 
Tiore valuable every day ; but for some time the General Gov- 

* Governor Robertson, having- been appointed United States district judge, re- 
;iffned the office of governor one month before his term expired. 



200 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



ernment refused to surrender them. Finally, however, an 
arrangement was made by which Louisiana received a great 
part of this public domain, as it was called, and from the 
sale of certain portions money was obtained to build levees, 
to found institutions of learning, and to pay a part of the 
State debt. Large areas are still owned by the State.* 

Pierre Derbigny. — In 1828, Johnson was succeeded as 
governor by Pierre Derbigny, who had previously been a 

judge of the Supreme Court and 
secretary of state. In the follow- 
ing year, however. Governor 
Derbigny was thrown from his 
gig and killed. As there was no 





PIERRE DERBIGNY. 

lieutenant-governor under 
the old constitution, the 
president of the senate, A. 
Beauvais, acted as gov- 
ernor until the legislature 
met, when he was followed 
by a second president of 
the senate, Jacques Dupre. 
Finally, in 1830, a regular 
election was held, and the governor chosen was A. Bien- 
venu Roman. 

*The University at Baton Rouge is partly supported by funds obtained from the 
sale of public domain. The United States Government still owns many thousands 
of acres in the upper parishes of Louisiana. This land is given away in certain 
quantities to settlers. 



GOVERNOR A. B. ROMAN. 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 



201 



A. B. Roman, Governor. 1831-1835. — Governor Roman 
was a fine type of the Louisiana Creole, and his services to 
his native State were very important. He founded Jeffer- 
son College in St. James parish, and when the legislature 
made an appropriation for its support, he added a subscrip- 
tion from his own fortune. Professors were brought over 
from Europe, and many students were educated in the new 
college. In managing the affairs of the State, Governor 
Roman showed great ability. Being violently opposed to the 
wild speculations of his time, he did all that he could to keep 
the State from indulging in them. To him also, we owe the 
establishment of the first experimental farm to advance the 
study of agriculture. As we shall see he was the first gov- 
ernor of the State to enjoy the honor of a second term. 

Refining of Sugar. — During Roman's first term, and in 
the next few years, great progress was made by some prom- 
inent planters in the refining of sugar. Up to this time it 




CARRYING CANE TO THE MILL. 

had been often said that Louisiana sugar was not suitable for 
refining, and there were many complaints of its inferior 
quality. About the year 1830 some of the richest planters 



202 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



determined to show that a fine grade of sugar could be pro- 
duced in the State. The result of their experiments was 
watched with the same interest that was shown when Etienne 
de Bore made his successful attempt to produce granulation. 
What is called the " vacuum process " had been introduced 
by two planters, Messrs. Gordon and Forstall, and was very 




PICKING COTTON. 

successful. Two Other rich planters, ValcourAime and Thos. 
Morgan, of St. James parish, now purchased expensive ma- 
chinery and the best chemicals for the refining process. 
Their first experiment succeeded beyond their expectations. 
They produced a high grade of refined sugar, several tons 
of which were sent to the North as a proof that Louisiana 
could compete with other countries in supplying the markets 
of the United States. It was even hoped that all the inhab- 
itants of America could be supplied with Louisiana sugar. 

Cholera. — In 1832, Louisiana was visited by a terrible dis- 
ease called Asiatic Cholera. It proved to be a far worse 
scourge than ever the yellow fever had been. Beginning in 
Asia it had spread over Europe, and was then brought by a 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 203 

ship to Canada. From Canada it finally reached Louisiana. 
Here as many as five thousand persons died of it. The ne- 
groes, who generally escaped the yellow fever, died in large 
numbers of this new disease. 

Edward D. White, Governor. 1835-39. — ^^ ^^35' E. D. 
White,* who had for several years been an able representa- 
tive in the Congress of the United States, was elected gover- 
nor. During his administration there was a great increase 
in the amount of cotton produced. The price of sugar fell 
to six cents a pound, which in those days was considered too 
low for a profit. Every one, therefore, began to neglect 
sugar and cultivate cotton. In 1836 Louisiana produced 
325,000 bales, which was nearly double the crop of 1834. 
After 1840, however, a new tariff brought up the price of 
sugar, which became once more the great staple of Lou- 
isiana. Nineteen of the southern parishes devoted them- 
selves to its cultivation, while Rapides, Avoyelles, Concor- 
dia, Catahoula, and Calcasieu, which had, before this, raised 
only cotton, now prepared to try the cane. The result was 
that in 1844 the crop was 200,000 hogsheads. 

Growth of New Orleans. — New Orleans, which always 
prospers with the State, had grown rapidly. The city was 
spreading beyond its old limits of Canal and Esplanade 
streets ; for its population, which in ten years had more than 
doubled, now reached 103,000. In one year 2000 sailing 
vessels and 1600 steamboats arrived at its levees. 

Overflow of 1840. — In the meantime Governor White had 
been succeeded by A. B. Roman, whose second term lasted 
until 1843. During his administration there was an unusual 
rise in the Mississippi river. There had not been such a flood, 
says an old historian, since that of 1782, when the prairies of 
the Attakapas and Opelousas country were partly overflowed. 
The Mississippi now spread over the parishes of Lafourche 
and Concordia, while the waters of Red river covered the 

* The father of our present United States Senator, 



204 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



extensive cotton lands along its banks. When the flood dis- 
appeared, however, it was found that the overflowed district 
had received a rich deposit of mud, and the next year a fine 
crop was produced. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the trouble about public domain? Name the governors 
that preceded Roman. Tell the chief services of Governor Roman. 
Give an account of the refining of sugar. What w^as the change in 
agriculture while White was governor? Give an account of the over- 
flow. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 
INCREASE OF DEflOCRACY — TROUBLE IN TEXAS. 

A. Mouton, Governor. — In 1843 Alexander Mouton was 
elected governor. He had previously been a United States 
Senator. Open-hearted, frank, and 
endowed with good judgment, Mou- 
ton enjoyed great popularity among 
the people of Louisiana. He always 
showed himself ready to sacrifice 
his personal interests for the good of 
his State. During his administration 
Louisiana paid off a large portion 
of the debts she had contracted when 
she took stock in the new banks. 

The New Constitution. — In 1845 
a new constitution was framed for 
Louisiana, which differed in some 
important points from that of 18 12. 
It was far more democratic — that is, it gave more privileges 
to the people than they had possessed before. Thus, under 




ALEXANDER MOUTON. 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 205 

the old constitution no one was allowed to vote who had not 
a certain amount of property. Now all this was changed ; 
the right of suffrage was granted to any male white twenty- 
one years of age who had resided two years in the State. 

Formerly the governor was obliged to own a landed estate 
worth five thousand dollars ; but now the poorest man in 
Louisiana could be elected to the highest office. Moreover, 
a change was made in the method of electing the governor — 
a change which is found in all the subsequent constitutions. 
By the constitution of 1812, the general assembly was per- 
mitted to choose the governor by ballot from the two candi- 
dates that had received the highest number of popular votes. 
Thus it was in the power of this assembly, if it wished, to 
choose the candidate that had received a smaller number of 
popular votes than his opponent ; though such a disregard of 
the people's wishes never occurred. The new constitution, 
however, provided that the general assembly must declare the 
candidate receiving the highest number of popular votes to 
be the duly elected governor. 

It was under this constitution, also, that the ofiice of lieu- 
tenant-governor and that of superintendent of public educa- 
tion were created. 

During this early period duelling had been very common 
in Louisiana, and the framers of the constitution determined 
to try to check it. Hence we find a provision that no State 
officer could enter upon his duties unless he swore that, since 
the adoption of the constitution, he had not engaged in a 
duel. A still severer article is found in the later constitution 
of 1852, which declared that no one who had been engaged 
in a duel should be allowed to vote. In our latest constitu- 
tions, those of 1868 and 1879, all provisions in regard to 
duelling have been dropped ; and the practice itself seems 
to be disappearing. 

Isaac Johnson, Governor. 1846-50. The Mexican War. 
— Under the new constitution, Isaac Johnson, who had held 



206 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 




ISAAC JOHNSON. 



the office of district judge, was elected governor. Scarcely 
had he begun his duties when a serious war began between 
the United States and Mexico. The cause of the war was 
this: When Louisiana was pur- 
chased, Texas remained a part of 
Mexico. As many American set- 
tlers, however, had moved into this 
territory, the United States Govern- 
ment tried to purchase it, but Mex- 
ico would not sell. In 1835 Texas 
boldly took the matter into her own 
hands. Throwing off her allegiance 
to Mexico, she declared herself a 
'!"*) free republic, and asked to be 
'admitted into the Union as a 
State. At first Congress would 
not consent, for there was a party in the North who wished 
to abolish slavery, and who opposed the admission of Texas 
because she would be admitted as a slave State. In spite, 
however, of this and other objections, Texas was finally 
made a State in 1845. It was a fine thing for the United 
States to acquire this splendid piece of territorjr; but Mexico 
was very angry at the interference of the American Govern- 
ment, and before a year had passed war was declared be- 
tween the two countries. 

General Zachary Taylor, who owned an estate near Baton 
Rouge, was sent with a small army to defend the border of 
the new State. As the Mexicans threatened him with a 
superior force, he called upon Governor Johnson for addi- 
tional troops. When the governor brought the matter before 
the legislature, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars 
was immediately voted for the purpose of sending help. New 
Orleans was wild with enthusiasm. The military companies 
seemed as anxious to fight as they had been some thirty years 
before at Chalmette. " In a few days," says General Owen, 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT. 207 

in his account of the Mexican War, " the Washington Regi- 
" ment, of New Orleans, looo strong, was on its way on 
" transports down the Mississippi." Other troops followed 
until Louisiana had sent a considerable force to aid her sister 
State against the Mexicans. The details of the war that fol- 
lowed can not be given here. It is sufficient to say that the 
Mexicans were defeated on every side, and that finally the 
American army under General Scott fought its way to the 
City of Mexico and captured it. The last defence of the 
city was the fortress of Chapultepec, which was taken by 
storm. In this portion of the campaign as well as in the 
battles of Monterey and Buena Vista, the Louisiana troops 
served with splendid courage. General G. T. Beauregard 
(then major), distinguished himself, and was twice wounded. 
As we look over the list of officers from Louisiana we see 
such well known names as Dessommes, Musson, Blanchard, 
Bourgeois, Soniat, and Hunt. 

With the surrender of the Mexican capital the war ended, 
and the Mexicans were glad to make peace. It was agreed 
that Texas should take as her southern boundary the Rio 
Grande river — a boundary which Mexico had not been will- 
ing to grant before the war. 

General Joseph Walker, Governor. 1850-53. — The suc- 
cessor of Isaac Johnson was General Joseph Walker, who 
had previously held high offices in the State. During his 
administration, the people, having already become dissatis- 
fied with the constitution of 1845, decided to have another 
framed. The result was the constitution of 1853, which was 
still more democratic than the previous one. Among other 
things it declared that the judges of the State Supreme 
Court instead of being appointed by the governor, as they 
are at the present day, should be elected by the vote of the 
people. The object of this measure was to limit the power 
of the governor, but it was not a wise step. Moreover, the 
privilege of creating new debts for the State, which had 



208 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

been denied the legislature by the constitution of 1845, was 
now once more granted. 

Paul Hebert, Governor. 1853-56.* — Under the new con- 
stitution Paul Hebert was elected governor. He had pre- 
viously occupied, says Gayarre, the position of State engi- 
neer, and had been president of the late constitutional con- 
vention. During his administration there occurred one of 
the most terrible yellow fever epidemics that Louisiana had 
ever seen. Formerly the disease had generally confined 
itself to New Orleans, but now it spread over every part of 
the State, and thousands of the inhabitants died. Never 
since the coming of the cholera had such sorrow and dismay 
been felt throughout the State. When the fever was over, 
however, trade was resumed and the State began once more 
to prosper. Among the signs of this prosperity it may be 
mentioned that during this period the public school system, 
which up to this time had not been successful, was aided by 
State funds and put upon a better basis. A few years before 
(1847) the University of Louisiana (now Tulane) had been 
established in New Orleans. The State now made appro- 
priations to complete the University buildings and to aid 
other institutions of learning. 

R. C. Wickliffe. — In 1856 Governor Hebert was suc- 
ceeded by Robert C. Wickliffe, a native of Kentucky, who 
had settled in West Feliciana. Here Mr. Wickliffe had won 
prominence as a lawyer, and had afterwards been elected a 
State senator. During his administration there was much po- 
litical excitement in Louisiana, in which the leading lawyers 
took an active part. Among these, three of the most promi- 
nent were Pierre Soule, John Slidell, and Judah P. Benjamin. 
Before the war all three served in the United States Senate, 
where they courageously defended the Southern Cause in the 
discussions that arose. 

* Hebert was installed as governor in January, 1S53, but by a special article ot the 
new constitution the terms of all officers were regarded as beginning in January, 
1852. 



THE CIVIL WAR 1861-65. 209 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the character of Governor Mouton? Tell about the 
changes made by the new constitution. What important event oc- 
curred during the administration of Governor Johnson? Give an ac- 
count of the Mexican War. What changes were made by the consti- 
tution of 1S52? Tell about the yellow fever in Hebert's administration. 
Who was the successor of Governor Hebert? 



THE CIVIL WAR-1861-65. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 
BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 

The Approach of War. — The annual messages of Hebert 
and VVickliffe show that the great topics of discussion in 
Louisiana were slavery and secession. The war was not far 
off, and these messages, full oi fiery sentiments, were like the 
low thunder that announces the coming of a storm. 

The party opposed to slavery, known as the Republican 
party, had been rapidly growing at the North, and seemed 
likely at an early day to gain control of the National Govern- 
ment at Washington. Louisiana and the other Southern States 
thought that, if this happened, an attack would be made 
upon the institution of slavery ; perhaps a law would be 
passed to do away with it altogether. At this period the 
North no longer had any slaves ; while the South depended 
upon them for the cultivation of her plantations, which, it 
was believed, could not be worked by white labor. 

The Causes of the War. — From the beginning of the 
nineteenth century there had been some jealousy between 



210 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

the Northern and the Southern States; and this feeling, un- 
fortunately, increased as the differences between the two sec- 
tions became more marked. Slavery never flourished in the 
cold North as it did in the warm South. Moreover, the 
Northern people had no large plantations, and generally pre- 
ferred manufactures to agriculture. In the South the slaves 
were suited both to the climate and to the occupation of the 
people. Now it was very difficult to make satisfactory tariff 
laws for two portions of a large country, which depended for 
their support upon different kinds of products. A tariff, for 
instance, that protected the manufacturer of the North often 
threatened to ruin the planter of the South. Whichever sec- 
tion of the country, therefore, had the majority in Congress 
was able, if it wished, to pass laws very injurious to the 
other. Thus we have seen that, in 1811, Josiah Quincy, of 
Massachusetts, declared in Congress that if Louisiana were 
admitted as a State, the older States would be justified in 
breaking up the Union; for, as he argued, Louisiana could 
not have the same interests as the Northern and Eastern States. 
Twenty-four years later (1833), there was a great debate 
in the United States Senate between Daniel Webster and 
John C. Calhoun. Webster, who was from Massachusetts, 
declared that the Constitution of the United States did not 
permit a State under any circumstances to withdraw from 
the Union. Thus Massachusetts had changed her opinion of 
the Constitution since the days of Josiah Quincy. Calhoun, 
who was from South Carolina, maintained that the right to 
withdraw from the Union belonged to every State ; for, in 
ratifying the Constitution, the States had reserved to them- 
selves this power. Such was the famous "State Rights 
Doctrine." In general the North took the side of Webster, 
while the South took the side of Calhoun.* The debate in 

* It is interesting, however, to note that Webster's distinguished biographer, 
Henry C, Lodge, though a Northern man and a violent opponent of secession, ad- 
mits that, in this great debate, Calhoun proved his interpretation of the Constitu- 
tion to be the true one. 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1 86 1 -65. 211 

this case had arisen over a tariff law passed by Congress. As 
this law was regarded as a violation of the Constitution, South 
Carolina " nullified " or refused to obey it, and prepared to 
secede, in case the President attempted to enforce obedience. 
The trouble, however, ended in a compromise. Each side 
gave up something, and a tariff diminishing yearly till it 
ceased, was finally adopted. Thus the great question of 
what rights belonged to the States and to the General Gov- 
ernment respectively, was not settled, but only deferred. 

When, therefore, some years later, the party in the North 
opposed to slavery grew very strong and seemed to be on the 
point of getting possession of the Government, the South 
naturally began to discuss once more the question of seces- 
sion. Would the North dare to interfere with slavery, which 
had so long been an established institution in the South.? If 
a Southern State submitted to such interference it would 
lose its self-respect; secession was the only means of pre- 
serving its rights. This was the general feeling in the South ; 
while the North was determined to preserve the Union at all 
hazards. Each side thought itself in the right, and it looked 
as if the long contest over the question of secession, which 
slavery had thus brought to the front once more, could be 
decided only by a war between the two sections. 

As soon, therefore, as the Republicans, in i860, succeeded 
in electing as President Abraham Lincoln, the Southern 
States prepared to secede from the Union, and to defend 
their action, if necessary, by an appeal to arms. 

Louisiana Secedes. — The first State to pass an ordinance 
of secession was South Carolina, which many years before 
had so boldly asserted her rights through the statesman, 
John C. Calhoun. Other Southern States followed. In 
Louisiana a convention was called at Baton Rouge to decide 
what course the State should pursue. The officer elected to 
preside on this important occasion was the venerable Ex- 
Governor Alexander Mouton, a man highly respected by all 



212 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

the people of the State. By a vote of 113 yeas to 17 nays, 
the convention decided that Louisiana w^ould join her sister 
States in withdraw^ing from the Union (January 26, I861).* 
This decision was destined to bring sorrow and disaster upon 
the State, but the Louisianians believed that under the Con- 
stitution of the United States they had the right of secession, 
and they were determined to fight, if necessary, to maintain 
it. The governor of Louisiana at this time was Thos. O. 
Moore, a rich planter and man of large influence. He 
strongly supported the course pursued by his State. 

The New Government. — In February, 1861, the various 
States that had seceded sent representatives to a Southern 

*The ordinance of secession was as follows: 

"The State Of Louisiana. 

'M« ordinance to dissolve the Union between the State of Louisiana and other 

States tinited with her under the compact entitled 

" 'the constitution of the united states of AMERICA.' 

" We, the people of the State of Louisiana, in convention assembled, do declare 
and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, that the ordinance passed by us 
in convention on the 22d day of November, in the year 1811, whereby the Constitu- 
tion of the United States of America, and the amendments of the said Constitution, 
were adopted ; and all laws and ordinances by which the State of Louisiana became 
a member of the Federal Union, be and the same are hereby repealed and abro- 
gated ; and that the Union now subsisting between Louisiana and other States, 
under the name of * The United States of America,' is hereby dissolved. 

" We do further declare and ordain. That the State of Louisiana hereby resumes 
all rights and powers heretofore delegated to the Government of the United States 
o' America; that her citizens are absolved from all allegiance to said Government; 
and that she is in full possession and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which 
appertain to a free and independent State. 

" We do further declare and ordain. That all rights acquired and vested under 
the Constitution of the United States, or any Acts of Congress, or treaty, or under 
any law of this State, an d not incompatible with this ordinance, shall remain in force 
and have the same effect as if this ordinance had not been passed." 

On the iSth of February, 1861, the legislature passed the following joint reso- 
lution: 

" I. Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State op 
Louisiana, in general assembly convened, That the right of a sovereign State to secede 
or withdraw from the Government of the Federal Union and resume her original 
sovereignty when in her judgment such act becomes necessary, is not prohibited by 
the Federal Constitution, but is reserved thereby to the several St tes, or people 
thereof, to be exercised, each for itsell, without molestation. 

•' 2. Beit further resolved, etc.. That any attempt to coerce or force a sovereign 
State to remain within the Federal Union, come from what quarter and under what- 
ever pretence it may, will be viewed by the people of Louisiana, as well on her 
own account as of her sister Southern States, as a hostile invasion, and resisted 
to the utmost extent, 

" C. H. Morrison, 
" Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
" B. W. Pearce, 
" President of the Senate. 
" Thos O. Moore, 
" Governor of the State of Louisiana.** 



THE CIVIL WAR 1861-65. 



213 



Congress, which met at Montgomery, Ala. A new govern- 
ment was formed under the title of the "Confederate States 
of America," a new constitution was adopted, and Jefferson 
Davis, of Mississippi, was elected President.* 

The Fall of Fort Sumter. — For a short time it was 
thought that the North and the South could agree on some 
plan of compromise and that there would be no war. But 
on April 12, 1861, General G. T. Beauregard, t of Louisiana, 
who was in charge of the South Carolina defences, was in- 
structed by the Confederate Government to fire on Fort Sum- 
ter in Charleston Harbor. This step was taken because 
a fleet, with a large supply of provisions, was on its way from 
New York to aid Sumter in withstanding any attack. The 
fort was at this time occupied by United States troops under 
Major Robert Anderson, and it refused to surrender until it 

had been bombarded for 
thirty hours. This bom- 
bardment opened the war, 
for the "Fall of Sumter" 
aroused the North, and 
President Lincoln called for 
75,000 volunteers to com- 
pel the South to come back 
into the Union. The terri- 
ble contest lasted four long 
years. Its course was mark- 
ed by famous battles and 
great deeds of valor. Among 
GEN. G. T. BEAUREGARD. the soldiers of the South 

none gained greater fame than those from this State, but if 

* The list of Confederate States was as follows: South Carolina, Mississippi, 
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and 
North Carolina. Missouri and Kentucky did not secede, but the Southern sympa- 
thizers in these States formed revolutionary governments, which were recognized 
by the Confederacy. . ^ i ^u 

t General G. T. Beauregard became one of the most prominent generals on the 
Confederate side. As we have seen, he opened the war by the capture ot i<ort 




214 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

we followed them in all their campaigns, we should have to 
give an account of the whole war. In this little volume, 
therefore, we shall relate only those events that occurred on 
Louisiana soil. 

Preparations for War. — When the cry To Arms ! was 
heard in Louisiana, the greatest enthusiasm filled the hearts 
of the people. Business was forgotten, and preparations 
were made to send as many troops as possible to Virginia, 
which, it was known, would be the chief battle ground of the 
war. Those who failed to enlist were regarded as traitors to 
the South. The famous Washington Artillery paraded the 
streets of New Orleans amid the cheers of the people, and 
after listening to a stirring address from an eloquent preacher, 
took its departure for Richmond. Other companies followed, 
until the old city had few troops to defend her in case she 
was attacked. The soldiers of Louisiana had gone to win 
laurels for themselves on battle fields far from their native 
State. At this time hardly any one thought that the war 
would ever reach Louisiana ; for the South believed she could 
successfully defend her territory against the Northern armies. 

QUESTIONS. 

Describe the approach of war. Give the causes of the war. Who 
was elected President in iS6o? When did Louisiana secede? Name 
the Confederate States. Describe the fall ot Sumter, and the prepara- 
tion for war in Louisiana. 

Sumter, SubsequentlyJie won great tame at Manassas and on other battle fields. 
After the war General Beauregard lived in New Orleans, where he died February 
20, 1893 His body lay in state at the City Hall, In his honor the business of New 
Orleans was practically suspended and all public institutions were closed. 



THE CIVIL WAR- 



861-65. 



215 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE WAR IN LOUISIANA. 

Importance of New Orleans. Its Defences. — For 
nearly a year the State remained undisturbed ; but in the 



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winter of 1863 a Federal fleet and an army arrived at Ship 
Island, with the intention of attacking New Orleans. The 
main object was to get possession of the great highway of 



216 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

America, the Mississippi river, and thus cut off the troops 
and supplies which the South could bring over from Louisi- 
ana and Texas to aid her army. But the North knew that 
unless New Orleans were captured, it would not be possible 
to hold the lower Mississippi. Extensive preparations, there- 
fore, had been made to seize the Crescent City. 

On the other hand, the Confederate Government does not 
seem to have appreciated the importance of New Orleans, 
for again, as in the days of the English invasion, the city 
was by no means well protected. At the Rigolets, Barata- 
ria Bay, and other inlets, there were some batteries, but they 
were very weak, and the only strong defences were on the 
Mississippi, about thirty miles from its mouth. These were 
Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, the latter of which had 
resisted the English so successfully in the days of Andrew 
Jackson. Besides the guns of these forts, there were in the 
Mississippi, "just above them, eighteen war vessels to protect 
the passage of the river and prevent an enemy from slipping 
past. Below the forts the river was obstructed by a line of 
mastless vessels, placed across the channel and bound 
together by a number of iron chains. The entire river de- 
fence was under the command of General J. R. Duncan. 

Farragut's Fleet. — The Federal fleet at Ship Island was 
under Flag-Officer David G. Farragut, who was afterwards 
made an admiral for his splendid services on the Mississippi. 
H e was a Southern man, and had once lived in New Orleans, 
but when the war broke out he remained in the Northern 
service. He was one of the bravest and most skilful com- 
manders that the American navy has ever had. His fleet con- 
sisted of four powerful sloops of war, each one carrying oyer 
twenty guns, together with a number of gunboats and mor- 
tar schooners — amounting in all to forty-three vessels. Part 
of these were under Commander D. D. Porter. 

Farragut's plan was to come up the Mississippi, bombard 
the forts, and try to reach New Orleans. If this could be 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1861-65. 217 

accomplished, General B. F. Butler, at the head of 15,000 
troops, was to follow him and occupy the city. 

The Passing of the Forts. April 23, 1862. — When this 
formidable fleet came within about half a mile of the forts, a 
terrible bombardment began and continued several days. 
Fort Jackson received the greatest part of the attack, and re- 
turned the fire of the Federal vessels with great spirit and 
accuracy. On the second day, the 19th of April, a shot from 
this fort struck one of Farragut's schooners, passed through 
her bottom, and sunk her. As there seemed to be no chance 
of reducing the forts, the bold Flag-officer determined to 
break through the obstructions and run past. On the 20th, 
after dark, two vessels were sent forward to investigate. One 
of these, the Itasca^ ran boldly against the chains which 
bound the old hulks together. These chains, not being suffi- 
ciently strong, snapped in two, and an opening large enough 
for the passage of the war vessels was made. For three 
more days, however, Farragut continued to bombard the 
forts, while he was busy making preparations to run the 
gauntlet. At 2 o'clock on the morning of the 23d, every- 
thing was ready, and the signal for the advance was made 
from the flag-ship. The excitement on both sides was in- 
tense. The forts knew that an attempt to run by them was 
about to be made ; but in the darkness the gunners could not 
aim very accurately. Still they made ready, and as the fleet 
began to pass, they poured upon it a terrible discharge of shot 
and shell. Fire rafts were sent down to render the passage 
dangerous, and the flag-ship Hartford was soon in flames ; 
but her crew extinguished the fire and she pressed on. The 
little Confederate fleet above the forts fought gallantly to 
defend the passage. The Governor Moore^ a Confederate 
gunboat, commanded by a skilful officer named Beverly 
Kennon, rammed and fired into the Federal vessel Varuna^ 
which was so disabled that she sunk. But the Northern fleet 
was too powerful to be stopped, and though many of his gun- 



218 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

boats were riddled with shot, Farragut soon scattered or de- 
stroyed the Confederate vessels. 

The Confederates had made an heroic defence, but the 
enemy had fought their way through, and New Orleans 
was lost. On the 35th of April Farragut reached some bat- 
teries placed by the Confederates on both sides of the river 
near Chalmette. Having quickly silenced these, he anchored 
before New Orleans. 

Burning of the Cotton. — As soon as the news reached 
New Orleans that Farragut had passed the forts, the dismay 
of the inhabitants was so great that at first nothing was done. 
Then as the people realized that the troops in the city were 
not sufficient for its defence, they decided to destroy every- 
thing that might aid the enemy. The South had refused to 
let any cotton be exported, imagining that the factories of 
the North would thereby be crippled, and that the want of 
this important staple would force foreign nations to aid the 
Confederacy. "Cotton is king,", was the cry, "and by 
withholding it from the markets the South will win the day." 
Hence, there was at this time a large quantity of cotton in 
New Orleans, and the authorities were determined that it 
should not fall into the hands of the invaders. Twelve thou- 
sand bales were quickly piled upon the levee and set on fire ; 
warehouses were broken open, and barrels of sugar and 
molasses were added to the burning mass. The very gutters 
ran with molasses, and the banquettes were covered with 
sugar. Many of the steamers at the levee were set on fire ; 
and a powerful gunboat called the Mississifpi^ which 
had not been finished in time to be of any use, was sent 
down the river a mass of flames to meet Farragut's fleet. A 
cloud of black smoke rested over the city like a symbol of 
ruin and destruction. 

New Orleans Occupied by the Federals. — When Far- 
ragut had anchored in front of New Orleans, he sent an offi- 
cer to Mayor Monroe to demand that the city should be suj- 



THE CIVIL WAR 1 86 1 -65. 219 

rendered and that the Louisiana flags should be removed 
from all public buildings. The mayor, probably hoping that 
something might still be done to save the city, refused to 
surrender, and for some days negotiations were carried on 
between him and Farragut. In the meantime, however, the 
Confederate forces in New Orleans under Gen. M. S. Lovell, 
being too weak to make a successful resistance, retired from 
the city. If any resistance had been made Farragut would 
have bombarded New Orleans and killed thousands of the 
inhabitants. The retreat of Lovell, therefore, was a wise 
measure. Moreover, the forts on the river had surrendered 
to Porter, who had been left in charge of the mortar schoon- 
ers. Finally, on the 30th of April, Farragut sent two of his 
oflicers, with a strong guard, to the present City Hall, with 
orders to pull down the flag that waved there, and run up 
the "Stars and Stripes" in its stead. An immense crowd 
of citizens looked on ; but resistance was now useless, and 
none was made. New Orleans was in the hands of the 
enemy.* 

On May i, the city was handed over by Farragut to the 
control of General B. F. Butler, who had followed with a 
large army. Butler was a coarse, rough man, who treated 
the people with great indignity. His tyrannical behavior 
will long be remembered in New Orleans. The only thing 
that has been said to his credit is that he cleansed the city 
and kept it in the best sanitary condition that k has ever 
known. This task, however, was rendered easy by the fact 
that the city had been deserted by a large number of the in- 
habitants. Moreover, the absence of foreign trade during 
the war helped to keep all Southern cities free from disease. 

* Before Farragut had taken possession of New Orleans, a United States flag- 
was i)Iaced over the Mint by the crew from one of his vessels. As the city had not 
surrendered, this act caused a great deal of indignation, and some bold citizens de- 
termined at the risk of their lires to pull it down. Accordingly four men, among 
whom was W. B. Mumford, mounted to the roof of the building. Mumford, taking 
the lead, let the flag drop from the staff and dragged it through the streets. It 
was a rash deed ; for when General Butler took command of the city he had Mum- 
ford arrested, tried, and put to death. As the flag had been placed on the Mint 
without the orders of Farragut, the execution of Mumford was unjust and cruel. 



220 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

The fall of New Orleans was a great blow to the Southern 
Cause. It was held till the close of the war by Union sol- 
diers, who thus controlled the mouth of the Mississippi, and 
at the same time had a convenient point from which to at- 
tack the Confederates. 

QUESTIONS. 

How was New Orleans defended? Why was New Orleans an im- 
portant city to capture? Describe the passing of the forts. What was 
the effect of the news in the city? Describe the occupation of New 
Orleans. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 
THE WAR IN LOUISIANA — CONTINUED. 

The Opening of the Mississippi. — As a Federal fleet 
had already descended the Mississippi to a point some dis- 
tance above Vicksburg, Farragut determined to join it and 
thus complete the "clearing" of the river. Accordingly, 
after the capture of New Orleans, he sent up the river seven 
of his war vessels. When these reached Baton Rouge, that 
town, which was not fortified, quickly surrendered. Such, 
also, was the fate of Natchez ; but Vicksburg refused to sur- 
render. Farragut now arrived from New Orleans, and 
taking a number of his vessels, he ran past the batteries at 
Vicksburg to join the Union fleet above. As he went by, 
the guns on the heights of Vicksburg rained down shells 
upon his fleet, but though they killed fifteen of his men and 
wounded thirty, they did not succeed in stopping him. His 
guns answered those on the heights, but did no damage to 
the Confederates. 

Thus Farragut had shown that he could pass the fortifica- 
tions, though he had clearly seen that Vicksburg was too 
strong to be captured without the help of a land army. After 



THE CIVIL WAR 1861-65. 221 

joining the upper fleet and remaining with it awhile, he re- 
turned to New Orleans. The river was falling rapidly and 
the malaria had attacked so many of his sailors that he was 
glad to escape from the unhealthy district around Vicksburg. 
Some powerful vessels, however, were left above Baton 
Rouge to watch a dangerous Confederate ram named the 
Arkansas. This ram was armed with ten guns and covered 
with railroad iron three inches thick ; and when Farragut 
was above Vicksburg she had come down the Yazoo river, 
run the gauntlet of the whole Union fleet, and taken refuge 
under the batteries of the city. 

The Confederates Attack Baton Rouge. — When Far- 
ragut retired, a strong Federal force under General Thomas 
Williams took possession of Baton Rouge. This was the 
Capital of Louisiana, and the Confederates determined to 
make a desperate attempt to drive away the Federals and re- 
cover the town. If Baton Rouge could be retaken, the Mis- 
sissippi from that point to Vicksburg would be practically 
under the control of the South, and the Red river, from the 
banks of which all sorts of supplies could be brought for the 
support of the Southern army, would be open to Confeder- 
ate steamboats. Accordingly a large force under General 
John C. Breckinridge, a brave Kentuckian, was sent down 
from Vicksburg to attack General Williams. As the Fed- 
eral gunboats were still in the river, General Breckinridge 
ordered the ram Arkansas to drop down the Mississippi, 
clear the river, and join hina at Baton Rouge. With the as- 
sistance of the ram on the water side, he hoped to make a 
successful attack upon the town. As soon as the Arkansas 
left Vicksburg, the telegraph announced the fact to Breckin- 
ridge, and he waited to hear her guns upon the river. But alas ! 
the famous boat never reached Baton Rouge. Her engines, 
which had been badly constructed, were now out of order. 
As she descended the river every effort was made to repair 
them ; the loud blows of hammers were distinctly heard from 



222 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

the banks. Nothing, however, could be done, and when she 
reached a point a few miles above the town, there was a 
crash in the machinery, and the Arkansas\?iy almost helpless 
upon the Mississippi. Without the power to move quickly 
she was useless. And now the enemy began to draw near. 
What was to be done? The decision was prompt. Head- 
ing the vessel for the bank, the men jumped ashore, and her 
commander, Lieutenant Stevens, set her on fire and turned 
her adrift. It was a memorable scene. The Confederate 
flag still waved above her, and every gun was loaded. As 
the flames began to spread, her great guns pealed out, one 
after another, threatening destruction to the approaching 
enemy. Then when the fire reached her magazine there was 
a mighty report, and the fragments of the powerful Confederate 
iron-clad were hurled in every direction. Though no Arkansas 
came to his aid, Breckinridge bravely attacked the Federal 
troops in the town, and in his first assault carried everything 
before him. General Williams on the Union side was killed at 
the head of his men, and if Breckinridge had been supported 
from the river, the capture of Baton Rouge would have been 
complete. But in the face of the Federal gunboats, which 
were now rapidly firing, the Confederates could not hold 
their position, and Breckinridge was compelled to order a 
retreat. The attack was one of the boldest feats of the war, 
for the Federals were superior in numbers and were 
splendidly equipped, while Breckinridge's soldiers were, 
many of them, without coats, shoes, or socks. Already the 
greater wealth of the North was shown by the bountiful sup- 
plies that came for her soldiers ; the poor Confederates often 
lacked the necessities of life. The very table covers in New 
Orleans had been cut into coats for Southern soldiers shiver, 
ing with cold upon the bleak hills of Virginia. 

After the failure to take the Capital, the Confederates 
fortified Fort Hudson, and the Union soldiers soon after gave 
up Baton Rouge and retired to New Orleans. 



THE CIVIL WAR 1 86 1 -65. 



223 



General Taylor in Southern Louisiana.— Some weeks 
after the attack on Baton Rouge there arrived at Opelousas 
one of the most gallant of the Confederate generals. This was 
General " Dick" Taylor, who had already distinguished him- 
self in Virginia under Stonewall Jackson, and who was now 

sent to take command of all the 
forces in Louisiana. He was a 
native of the State, and was a son 
of General Zachary Taylor, who, 
after his famous campaign in the 
Mexican war, had been elected 
President of the United States. 
"^"^^ Having inherited his father's 
skill in battle, General " Dick " 
proved himself a splendid officer. 
As soon as he arrived, General 
Taylor, with great energy, under- 
took the raising: of an armv to 

GENERAL RICHARD TAYLOR. ^ ■j' 

defend the State against the ad- 
vance of the Federals, and to keep open a road for the pas- 
sage of supplies to the Confederate troops east of the Mis- 
sissippi. The Governor of Louisiana, Thos. O. Moore, met 
him at Opelousas and turned over to him a few State troops. 
To these were soon added some companies from Texas. 
Great assistance was given by Ex-Governor Mouton, of 
Lafayette, who was very popular in that portion of the 
country, and who brought many of the Acadians under the 
Confederate flag.* Five companies of soldiers from St. 
Mary parish, under Colonel Fournet, took service, and thus 
Taylor's little army gradually increased. When he arrived 
there seemed to be no money and no troops ; but he tells us 
that the brave Creoles of that portion of the State were devoted 
to the Confederacy, and gave him invaluable help. Very 




* See Taylor's " Destruction and Reconstruction," a work to which we wish to 
acknowledge our great obligations for the account of the Louisiana campaign. 



224 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

soon, also, Taylor was joined by General Alfred Mouton, a 
son of Governor Mouton. This general served with great 
gallantry till he met his death at Mansfield. 

The Salt Mines. — About this time an important discovery 
v^as made on Avery's Island, near New Iberia, a discovery 
which may best be described in General Taylor's own words. 
' Salt wells had long been known to exist on Avery's Island, 
' and some salt had been boiled there. The want of salt 
' was severely felt in the Confederacy, our only considerable 
' source of supply being in Southwestern Virginia, whence 
' it was not easily obtained. Judge Avery, the owner of 
' the island, began to boil salt for h s neighbors, and desir- 
' ing to increase the flow of brine by deepening the wells, 
'came unexpectedly upon a bed of pure rock salt, which 
' proved to be of immense extent. Intelligence of this 
' reached me at New Iberia, and induced me to visit the 
' island. Devoted to our cause, Judge Avery placed the 
' mine at my disposal for the use of the Government. Many 
' negroes were assembled to get out salt, and a packing 
' establishment was organized at New Iberia to cure beef. 
' During succeeding months large quantities of salt, salt 
' beef, sugar, and molasses were transported by steamers 
' to Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and other points east of 
' the Mississippi. Two companies of infantry and a 
' section of artillery were posted on the island to preserve 
' order among the workmen, and to secure it against a 
' sudden raid of the enemy, who later sent a gunboat 
' up the Petite Anse to shell the mine, but the gunboat 
' became entangled in the marsh, and accomplished 
' nothing." 

Since the war this salt mine has been found to be practi- 
cally inexhaustible, and it will long continue to be a source 
of wealth to its owners. At the present day the mine is one 
of the most remarkable sights in Louisiana. Vast halls 
adorned with pillars have been cut out of the solid salt, and 



THE CIVIL WAR 1861-65. 225 

when the whole is illuminated by artificial light, it resem- 
bles some enchanted subterranean palace. 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell about the ''clearing" of the Mississippi. Tell about the ram 
Arkansas. Why did the Confederates attack Baton Rouge? Describe 
the attack. Tell about the hardships of the Southern soldiers. What 
general now took command of the forces in Louisiana? What troops 
did he muster? Tell about the discovery of the Avery salt mines. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 
THE WAR IN LOUISIANA — CONTINUED. 

Fighting on Bayou Lafourche and the Teche. — General 
Taylor had not long to wait for the enemy. On the 27th of 
October, 1862, General Weitzel, with a large body of Fed- 
eral troops, advanced from Donaldsonville towards Labadie- 
ville in Assumption parish. The Confederates, under Gen- 
eral Mouton, were on both sides of Bayou Lafourche, and as 
there was no bridge, they could not combine against the 
enemy. At Labadieville, however, Colonel Armant, with 
about five hundred men and a battery, opposed the advance 
of Weitzel's army, which numbered four thousand. The 
contest was brief but sharp. Many were killed on both sides ; 
but Armant, having used all his ammunition, was forced to 
retire. General Mouton then fell back with all his troops 
to Berwick Bay below Morgan City. 

Finding here that Federal gunboats were preparing to 
come up from AtchafalayaBay, he retreated along the Teche. 
Weitzel followed slowly, and there were a number of 
skirmishes. In one of these the Federal gunboats attacked 
the Cotton^ a river steamer which the Confederates had 



226 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

armed, and forced her commander, Captain Fuller, to burn 
her in the Teche. Weitzel seems now to have been content 
with his success, for he remained quiet during several months 
at Berwick Bay. 

In the month of April, 1863, he was reinforced by large 
bodies of troops until the Federal army numbered 16,000 men. 
The officer in command was General N. P. Banks, who had 
succeeded General Butler in New Orleans. Though Tay- 
lor's entire force was only 3000 men, he felt that some effort 
must be made to resist the enemy, and he determined to 
throw up breastworks at Bisland, between Franklin and 
Morgan City. Here the Contederates made a magnificent 
stand for two days, but finding that a portion of the Federal 
army was trying to cut them off in the rear, they were 
forced to retreat. As the Confederates fell back, the Union 
army advanced northwards through Louisiana until it reached 
Alexandria on Red river, while General Taylor stationed 
himself at Natchitoches.* 

Trans-Mississippi Department. — In March of this year 
(I863) Lieutenant-General E. Kirby Smithf had been sent 
by President Davis to take charge of the whole Trans-Mis- 
sissippi department, which consisted of Missouri, Arkansas, 
Texas, Louisiana, and some of the Territories. Great powers 
were given to the new commander; he was to conduct the 
campaign as he thought best, and all the other generals west 
of the Mississippi, including General Taylor, were to obey 
his orders. His headquarters were at Shreveport on Red river. 

Port Hudson and Vicksburg. — After remaining some 
weeks at Alexandria, General Banks retired from Louisiana, 
and crossing the Mississippi laid siege to Port Hudson, 

* On the 20th of April Fort Butte a la Rose had fallen into the hands of the 
enemy. This little fort had been established on the Atchafalaya, not very far dis- 
tant from St. Martinsville. With four guns and a garrison of only sixty men, it had 
bravely defended the Atchafalaya and driven off some of the enemy's gunboats; 
but it was finally captured by a superior force of Federals. 

t After the war General Smith becarne a professoj at Sewanee, Tenn., where he 
4ied in 1S93. 



THE CIVIL WAR— 1861-65. 



227 




LIEUT. GEN. E. KIRBY SMITH 
(Taken in 1893.) 



which, as we have seen, was held by the Confederates. At 
this time Vicksburg, also, was undergoing the horrors of a 
siege. General Grant had shut up there the Confederate 

army under General Pemberton, 
and with the assistance of a fleet, 
he was bombarding the city. If 
Vicksburg and Port Hudson fell, 
the Mississippi would be in the 
povver of the Federals, and the 
prospects of Louisiana would be 
indeed gloomy. 

Taylor at Berwick Bay. — 
When the enemy retired across 
the Mississippi, General Taylor 
determined to return to Southern 
Louisiana and attack a body of 
Federals that had been left at 
Berwick Bay. His expedition was planned with great skill 
and was entirely successful. The forces under General 
Thos. Green and General Mouton, who were then about one 
hundred miles apart, were ordered to meet at the Bay on 
the 23d of June. They arrived on time, and General 
Green planted a battery on the west side of the Bay. His 
object was to drive off a Federal gunboat, which had been 
left there to protect the camp of the enemy on the east 
bank. General Taylor then ordered Major Hunter with a 
body of Texas troops to await the opening of Green's 
guns, and then dash in upon the enemy from the rear. 
All this was well executed. Before the astonished Fed- 
erals could arouse themselves. Green had charged with his 
Texans and captured the whole camp, with the exception 
of a few men who escaped on a railroad train. General 
Taylor describes the scene as one of great excitement and 
confusion. Seventeen hundred prisoners were taken, but 
three-fourths of them were wounded and convalescents left by 



228 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

General Banks. These were cared for, and as many as 
possible were sent to New Orleans with their surgeons. The 
spoils found in the camp were immense. They consisted of 
twelve cannon, many small arms, and a great quantity of 
ammunition, provisions, and medicines. So much rich booty 
the poor Confederates had not seen for a long time, and 
during several months they lacked nothing that was necessary 
for their comfort. 

Fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson — Taylor's Re- 
treat. — After this successful expedition, General Taylor 
marched over to the Mississippi, and placed a battery of 
twelve guns on the river, with the hope of cutting off the 
Federal communication between Port Hudson and New Or- 
leans. In about a week, however, sad news reached him. 
On the 4th of July, 1863, Vicksburg had surrendered to 
General Grant. Five days later Port Hudson, finding fur- 
ther resistance useless, had capitulated to General Banks.* 
Thus at last the Mississippi was wholly in the power of the 
North ; the Confederacy was split into two parts, which 
could no longer communicate with each other. As we shall 
see, however. General Taylor did not despair of holding 
Western Louisiana. 

Having accomplished their object on the east bank of the 
river, the Federals under General Weitzel — six thousand 
strong — crossed over to Donaldsonville. Taylor, who had a 
force of only three thousand men, and who feared that the 
enemy might come down the Atchafalaya and cut him off, 
retired with his little army to Berwick Bay. This he crossed, 
carrying with him the rich plunder which he had captured. 
During the next few months there was lively skirmishing in 
the country between Opelousas and New Iberia. The only 
considerable engagement was at Bayou Bourbeau near Ope- 

*The defence of Port Hudson by Louisiana troops under General Gardner, 
who was ably seconded by his cnief of artillery, Col. Marshall J. Smith, was one of 
the most gallant that occurred during the war. 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1861-65. 229 

lousas, where the Federals were defeated by General Green 
and six hundred prisoners taken. 

Southern Losses in 1863. — During the rest of the year 
1863, and the first months of 1864, there was no fighting of 
importance in Louisiana. But the year 1863 had been 
marked by great misfortunes for the Confederates. On the 
ist of January President Lincoln had issued his famous 
Emancipation Proclamation, by which he declared all the 
slaves to be free. Many of them still remained faithful to 
their old masters ; but some ran away from the South and 
enHsted in the Northern armies. Moreover, not only had 
Vicksburg fallen and the Mississippi passed into the hands 
of the Federals ; but on the 3d of July, General Lee had 
been defeated at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a loss of 
21,000 men. This was a series ot disasters from which 
the South could never entirely recover. Her means of 
carrying on the war were diminishing every day, while the 
North seemed to be as rich as ever. Still many brilliant 
victories were yet to be won b} Southern leaders, espec- 
ially by Lee in Virginia ; and the war was to last nearly 
one and a half years longer. 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell something about the fighting around Bayou Lafourche. Where 
are Bayou Lafourche, the Teche, Berwick Bay? What power was 
given to General Kirby Smith? Who was in charge of the Union 
army? Tell about the seige of Vicksburg. Taylor at Berwick Bay. 
Fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Tell about the Southern losses 
in 1863. 



230 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 
THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

Banks' Raid ; the Federals Attempt to Occupy West- 
ern Louisiana. — In the spring of the year 1864, the Fed- 
erals seemed determined to crush all opposition in Louisiana. 
On the 1 2th of March seventeen gunboats under the com- 
mand of Admiral Porter entered the mouth of Red river. 
This fleet protected 10,000 men under General A. J. Smith. 
The troops landed at Simmsport on the Atchafalaya, 
and marching forward the next day, reached De Russey, a 
little fort on the Red. As the fortifications here had not been 
completed, there could be no successful resistance, and the 
enemy seized the garrison and ten guns. Another Federal 
army of 18,000 men, under General Franklin, now- 
marched up the Teche to join Smith at Alexandria. 
Thus the force that was intended to overwhelm Louisiana 
consisted of 28,000 men and a strong fleet of gunboats. The 
commander-in-chief of the expedition was General N. P. 
Banks, who had occupied Alexandria the year before. Be- 
sides his present army, Banks was informed that General 
Steele, with 7000 men, would march down from Arkansas 
and join him at Shreveport. 

Taylor's Retreat to Pleasant Hill and Mansfield.— 
General Taylor had been warned of the arrival of this great 
force, and he had fallen back towards Pleasant Hill and 
Mansfield. General Kirby Smith, who had fortified himself 
at Shreveport, thought it unwise for Taylor to try to make a 
stand against so large an army. But Taylor determined to 
risk a battle as soon as he saw a good opportunity. His army 
had been reinforced, and he had under him some excellent 
soldiers, and several distinguished officers. The chief of 
these were General Mouton, General Thos. Green, and Gen- 
eral Charles Polignac. The last was a French Prince, who 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1 86 1 -65. 231 

had come over to America to fight for the South. He had 
charge of a Texas Brigade, who did not at first like to be 
commanded by a Frenchman, but Polignac soon proved him- 
self so brave and so skilful that his men regarded him with 
admiration and affection. 

The Battle oi Mansfield, April 8, 1864.— When Taylor 
had collected his troops at Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, he 
discovered that Banks was following him. Banks' army, 
however, was divided into large bodies, which were sepa- 
rated from one another by considerable distances. Taylor 
immediately decided to attack each body in turn, and thus 
try to rout the whole army. On the 8th of April he drew 
up his forces at Sabine Cross Roads, three miles in front of 
Mansfield. He had 8800 men — 3000 horse, 500 artillerymen, 
and 3300 infantry. Of Banks' large army only 5000 were 
in sight, but more troops were rapidly coming up. When 
the advance columns of the enemy appeared, it was im- 
possible to restrain the Louisiana troops, for they felt 
that they were defending their native soil. Rushing for- 
ward under General Mouton they carried everything be- 
fore them. The other brigades were equally successful; 
but as the Louisianians approached the Federal lines, they 
had to meet a deadly fire from the enemy's artillery. One 
of the first to fall was the brave Mouton. It is said that 
he stopped to protect some Federal soldiers who had 
thrown down their arms and surrendered. While he sat 
upon his horse, waving to his men not to fire, some of the 
Federals picked up the guns they had thrown down and shot 
their protector through the breast. Not one of them, how- 
ever, survived this act of treachery. Polignac quickly took 
Mouton's place, and the Confederates pressed on, routing 
each new body of Federal troops as it was met. The pur- 
suit was stopped only by the darkness. " The fruits of the 
victory of Mansfield," says Taylor, " were twenty-five hun- 
*' dred prisoners, twenty pieces of artillery, several stands of 



232 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

" colors, many thousands of small arms, and two hundred 
" and fifty wagons." It is estimated that Banks' force en- 
gaged in this battle amounted to about 13,000 men. 

Pleasant Hill, April 9. — To complete his victory by at- 
tacking Banks on the following morning was Taylor's im- 
mediate decision. By that time, however, the enemy had 
taken a strong position at Pleasant Hill, and being reinforced 
by fresh troops, had in line about 18,000 men. Taylor, 
therefore, waited till he could be joined by General 
Churchill, who was coming up with several brigades com- 
posed of Arkansas and Missouri troops. With the addition 
of these, his army amounted to 12,500, but the new 
men were so wearied from a long march that the at- 
tack on the Federal lines could not be made before 
3 o'clock in the afternoon. Churchill's troops were ordered 
by Taylor to march around through some woods and "turn 
the enemy's left." Having passed through the woods, the 
Missouri troops charged with great bravery, but unfortunately 
they made a mistake in choosing the point of attack, and 
were finally forced to retreat. Polignac's division, however, 
and General Green's dismounted horsemen drove back the 
enemy on their front, and at nightfall the Confederates were 
in possession of the field. Under cover of the darkness the 
Federals retreated as fast as possible to Grand Ecore on Red 
river. Banks afterwards claimed a victory at Pleasant Hill, 
and declared that he retired because his army lacked water 
and provisions ; but Admiral Porter, in his report, describes 
the whole expedition up the Red river as a complete failure. 
The Confederates, on their side, considered that they had 
won the day, and General Smith issued the following general 
orders : 

" Shreveport, La., April 19, 1864: God has blessed our 
" arms with signal victories at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. 
" The General commanding finds it an appropriate occasion 
" to pay a well merited tribute to the endurance and valor 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1861-65. 233 

" of the troops engaged in these battles. Collected from re- 
" mote points — from Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and 
" Texas — after long and tedious marches, their combined 
" courage has gained on the soil of Louisiana the patriot sol- 
" dier's highest reward, victory. * * * In the name of 
" a grateful people I thank them for this splendid result. 
" While we mourn for the glorious dead and sympathize 
" with the heroic wounded, let us take courage for the 
" future. * * * The names of Mansfield and Pleasant 
" Hill will be inscribed on the colors of the regiments en- 
" gaged in these battles. By command of General E. 
" Kirby Smith." 

The Pursuit of Banks. — General Kirby Smith and Gen- 
eral Taylor did not agree as to the best manner of conducting 
the campaign after the battle of Pleasant Hill. Taylor 
thought that Banks should be pursued with all the available 
forces, and every effort made to destroy his army. General 
Smith feared that General Steele with 7000 Federals 
would advance to attack Shreveport, and taking a por- 
tion of Taylor's iufantry, he set out to meet Steele. The 
latter retired into Arkansas, and as Smith pursued him, Tay- 
lor was left without sufficient force to do more than worry 
Banks on his retreat. Taylor thought that he had been badly 
treated by his commanding officer; but it w^as simply an hon- 
est difference of opinion as to what was the best course to 
pursue. 

From Grand Ecore, Banks retired to Alexandria, destroy- 
ing property as he went ; while the Federal fleet, a part of 
which had ascended as high as Springfield Landing, about 
thirty miles below Shreveport, now dropped down the Red 
to cover Banks' retreat. A small battery of . four guns (the 
Federals maintain that there were eighteen) under Captain 
Cornay, a brave officer, had been placed by the Confed- 
erates near the junction of Cane river and Red river. It 
was supported by two hundred riflemen. As Porter's fleet 



334 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

reached this point the little battery opened fire upon his gun- 
boats. One of them was cut to pieces, while the others suf- 
fered terribly. Captain Cornay, however, was killed, and 
Porter succeeded in passing. The battery's fire, Porter after- 
wards declared, was the heaviest he ever witnessed. 

When the Federal fleet reached the Red River Falls, near 
Alexandria, it was discovered that the water was too low to 
allow the gunboats to pass. There was a depth of only 
three feet four inches, while the largest boats required about 
seven feet. At first it looked as if the fleet must fall into the 
hands of the Confederates. But finally an engineer, Colonel 
Joseph Bailey, proposed a plan by which a dam might be 
built across the river. The task was a very difficult one, for 
at this point the river is seven hundred and fifty-eight feet 
wide and the current is swift. For eight days, however, sev- 
eral thousand men worked day and night, and finally the dam 
was completed. But as a portion of it was carried away by 
the current, it became necessary to build an additional one 
above. By means ot the two the depth of the water was in- 
creased sufficiently to allow all the vessels to pass over. This 
was a splendid piece of engineering work, the remains of 
which were still visible a few years ago. Colonel Bailey, 
who planned it, was raised to the rank of brigadier general, 
and received the thanks of the United States Congress. With 
the protection of the fleet. Banks now retreated to Simmsport. 
The Confederates, hanging upon his flanks, succeeded in 
cutting off many of his men; but on May 20th he crossed 
the Atchafalaya. Here, as the Mississippi was in the pos- 
session of the Federals, the Confederates had to give up 
the pursuit. 

End of the War. — From this time on there was no more 
fighting in Louisiana. Nearly a year later General Robert 
E. Lee, the great Southern commander-in-chief, surrend- 
ered to General Grant in Virginia, and thus put an end to 
the war. The South had fought a noble fight, but it was 



THE CIVIL WAR — 1 86 1 -65. 



235 



impossible for her to struggle any longer against the over- 
whelming numbers of the North. 

By this terrible contest between the two sections, the ques- 
tion of secession was settled forever. Perhaps it could not 
have been settled in any other manner. At the present day 
the Southern people, while they still maintain that their in- 
terpretation of the Constitution was the true one, have ac- 
cepted " the judgment of war," and are now firm in their 
loyalty to the Union.* 

General H. W. Allen, Governor.— In 1864, while the 
war was going on, an election for governor was held in 

Louisiana. In the New Or- 
leans district, Michael Hahn, 
a Union man, was chosen ; but 
his authority was recognized 
only in that portion of the 
State which was controlled by 
the Northern soldiers. The 
rest of the State chose as gov- 
ernor General Henry W. Allen, 
who, though born in Virginia, 
was an adopted son of Louis- 
iana. General Allen had been 
a gallant soldier, and had 
served under Breckinridge in 
the famous attack on Baton 
Rouge. Here he was wounded so desperately that it was 
thought he must die. Thanks to a good doctor, however, he 
recovered. As governor he won the love and respect of all 
Louisianians. Shreveport became the capital of the State, 
and it was here that Allen resided. The State had been de- 




* The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, passed 
after the war (i86S), declares: "All persons born or naturalized in the United 
States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States 
and of the State" wherein they reside." This amendment abolishes forever the con- 
stitutional right of secession. No " citizen of the United States " can take up arms 
figainst the General Government. 



236 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

vastated by the armies that had occupied it so long ; and at 
the close of the war the misery and want were such that, in 
many cases, the inhabitants of the parishes were on the point 
of starvation. Governor Allen nobly came to their relief. 
To raise money for the purchase of provisions was almost an 
impossibility; but, by his heroic exertions, it was accom- 
plished. Not only was food sent wherever it was needed, 
but a great number of the poor were aided in their efforts to 
begin life anew. Other good deeds of the "War Governor " 
are held in grateful remembrance. When, however, peace 
was finally made, Governor Allen, whose health had been 
shattered by his wounds, retired to Mexico, where he died in 
1866. His remains are buried in Baton Rouge. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was Banks' whole force? What was the difference of opinion 
between Taylor and Smith? Tell about the battle of Mansfield. How 
many soldiers fought on each side? Tell about the battle of Pleasant 
Hill? What was the result of Banks' Red river campaign? Describe 
the pursuit of Banks. How did Porter pass Red River Falls? How 
did the war end? Give an account of Governor Allen. 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 237 

RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 
AFTER THE WAR. 

Reconstruction. — Louisiana had suffered terribly during 
the war. Her rich fields had been laid waste, her sugar 
houses had been burned, and, saddest of all, thousands of 
her brave sons had perished on the battle field. When the 
survivors returned to their homes, they took up once more the 
duties of life with the hope of restoring their fortunes by 
courage and industry.* The war had served one good pur- 
pose ; it had taught those who fought in it to bear misfor- 
tunes bravely. But alas! for the next twelve years Louisiana 
was destined to suffer almost as much as during the war 
itself. 

In December, 1865, there was added to the Constitution of 
the United States the Thirteenth Amendment, which declared 
that slavery was forever abolished. But Congress, which 
was now largely composed of Republicans, was afraid that 
the freedmen might not obtain the right of suffrage in the 
South. It decided, therefore, that the Southern States should 
not send representatives to Congress and should not control 
their own governments until they had been "reconstructed." 
This meant that in these States strong military governments 
were to be established by the President, and that these were 
to frame new constitutions, guaranteeing to the freedmen the 
right to vote, and excluding from office all prominent Con- 
federates, f As soon as the rights of the freedmen had been 

* General Richard Taylor tells us that at the close of the war his plantation had 
been confiscated, and that his whole fortune consisted of two horses, one of which 
was lame and unfit for service. 

tAlter "rt construction" these Confederates were not admitted to Congress until 
they had been pardoned. 



238 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

thus secured, the States were to be readmitted to the 
Union. 

Political Adventurers. — In 1868, Louisiana having been 
duly "reconstructed," was readmitted to the Union.* But 
this was not to be the end of her troubles. Crowds of Re- 
publican adventurers, who had hurried down from the North, 
got possession of the State Government. This was easy to 
do ; for according to the new constitution, framed in 1868, the 
Southern Democrats who had taken a prominent part in the 
war were not allowed to vote, and the freedmen naturally 
thought that they must support the Republicans, who had 
abolished slavery. Hence, a bitter contest arose between the 
Democrats, who owned all the property in the State, and the 
political adventurers, who held all the offices. These latter 
were called in the South "carpet-bag" politicians, because it 
was said that they brought with them from the North noth- 
ing but their carpet-bags. 

The new-comers soon began to seize the public money, 
large sums of which they put into their own pockets or spent 
in keeping themselves in office. All their actions were sup- 
ported by a band of soldiers called the Metropolitan Police, 
and by United States troops, which had been sent by the 
President " to keep order in Louisiana." Hence there fol- 
lowed a period of shameless corruption. In a few years the 
public debt of Louisiana was increased by the sum of $40,- 
000,000. Taxes became extremely high, and the people of 
the State, who had been much impoverished by the war, 
were now overwhelmed with debt. After a while, however, 
the Republicans began to quarrel among themselves. H. C. 
Warmoth, who had been elected governor in 1868, was im- 
peached and suspended from office in 1873 by a hostile wing 
of his own party. For one month P. B. S. Pinchback acted 

* Michael Hahn,who was elected governor in 1864, resigned in 1865, and was suc- 
ceeded by another Union man, J. M. Wells. The "reconstruction" governors 
were B. F. Flanders and Joshua Baker. The former served from June, 1867, to 
January, 186S, and the latter from January, 1S68, till July of the same year, 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 239 

as governor. In 1873 he was succeeded by another Repub- 
lican, Wm. P. Kellogg. 

The White League. — The Louisianians soon saw that if 
they wished to enjoy their right of free government, they must 
take up arms against the oppressors. A great number of the 
most prominent men in various parts of the State, therefore, 
formed themselves into what was called the White League. 
The object of this organization was to rescue the State from 
the " carpet-bag " government and restore it to the white 
Democrats. " Resistance to tyranny! " was the cry in all the 
parishes. At St. Martinsville the people rose and drove 
back an armed vessel called the "Ozark," which the Repub- 
lican governor, Wm. Pitt Kellogg, had sent to arrest the 
principal citizens of town because they refused to pay taxes 
for the support of his government. Finally, on the 14th of 
September, 1874 — a day ever memorable in the annals of 
New Orleans — there was a battle between a detachment of 
the League and Kellogg's Metropolitan Police. Some fire- 
arms for the League had been brought to the city by steamer, 
and Kellogg declared that they should not be delivered to 
their owners. The forces of the White League, under Gen- 
eral Fred N. Ogden, marched to the foot of Canal street 
with the intention of taking possession of the arms. Here 
they were met by the Metropolitan Police under General 
Longstreet, and there was a sharp contest, in which forty 
men were killed and one hundred were wounded. The 
W^hite League was victorious. The Metropolitans were 
scattered, and the pieces of artillery which they had placed 
upon the levee were turned against themselves. 

When the battle was over it was found that sixteen mem- 
bers of the League lay dead upon the street.* With their 

* On the 14th of September. 1891, a monument to the memory of these heroes 
was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. It stands at the foot of Canal street, 
and bears the names of those who fell in defence of free government. These names 
should never be forgotten: Bozonier, Betz, Brulard, Crossin, Considine, Feuil- 
lan, Gautier, Gourdain, Graval, Lindsey, Mohrmann, Newman, Robbins, Tole- 
dano, Wells, and West. 



240 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



deaths, however, began a new era in Louisiana ; for the peo- 
ple of the State felt that their cause had been sanctified by 
the blood of these brave citizens, and that they must never 
give up the struggle until they had won back the right to 
govern themselves. 

Kellogg's troops had been defeated ; but he himself had 
taken refuge in the Custom House. While here he appealed 
to the President for help. His request was granted, and with 
the aid of United States troops he was once more installed 
as governor.* 

F. T. NichoUs, Governor. — In 1876, however, a new 
election was held. The Democrats, by a majority of 8,000, 

carried the State for Francis 
T. Nicholls. Many of the 
colored people, preferring to 
live in peace with the white 
landowners, left the Republi- 
can party of their own free 
will, and voted with the Dem- 
ocrats. Kellogg's party, how- 
ever, maintained that a ma- 
i'jority of the votes had been 
cast for their candidate, a 
United States marshal named 
Packard, whom they hoped to 
keep in office by means of 
United States soldiers. Nich- 
olls, who had been a brave soldier, now showed that he 
was a devoted patriot. With calm courage he declared that 
at all hazards he would guard the rights of his State. "I 
" have been elected governor," he said, "and I intend to 
"be governor." The Louisianians rallied around him, ready 
to defend him at the point of the bayonet. 




FRANCIS T. NICHOLLS. 



* The Democrats had elected John McEnery governor, and D. B. Penn lieuten- 
ant-governor, but both were now forced to retire. 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 241 

In January, 1877, therefore, two governors were inaugu- 
rated in Louisiana ; Nicholls openly on the balcony of 
the court building that overlooks Lafayette Square, and 
Packard behind closed doors in the State House (now 
Hotel Royal). Here, guarded by Federal troops, Packard 
and his followers remained for several months, while the 
White League held all the courts for Nicholls.* Finally, in 
April, 1877, a committee sent down from Washington to 
to investigate the strange condition of affairs in Louisiana, 
advised the President to withdraw the Federal troops. 
Without troops, Packard could do nothing, and his govern- 
ment immediately fell to pieces. The "carpet-baggers" 
soon after departed from Louisiana, and the State once more 
enjoyed a free government. 

Such is a brief summary of the important events from the 
close of the war to the year 1877. It is a far more agreeable 
task to take up the subsequent history of Louisiana, and tell 
how the State drew herself out of the " slough of despond " 
and began again that career of wonderful prosperity which 
had been interrupted by the war. 

QUESTIONS. 

What was the Thirteenth Amendment? What was ^'reconstruc- 
tion? " Tell about the '' carpet-bag politicians," and the increase of 
the State debt. What was the White League? Tell about the " Ozark." 
Tell about the Fourteenth of September. Whom did the Democrats 
elect governor in 1876? Tell about the two governors. How did the 
contest end? 

*The seizure of the Supreme Court on Jackson Square by Governor Nicholls' 
troops was one of the most exciting and important events that occurred during this 
period. It was on the 9th of January, a biiter cold day. At six o'clock in the 
morning the White League, well armed, gathered around the court, in which Pack- 
ard had stationed a guard of Metropolitans, Cannon were placed at the head of 
neighboring streets; for it was expected that the Republicans would make a fierce 
resistance and that the United States troops would lend them aid. At the last moment, 
however, the courage of the Metropolitans failed them, and they decided to sur- 
render. There being no actual conflict the United States troops refused to interfere. 
As Packard's judges had already left the building and sought places of safety, 
Nicholls' appointees took their seats. They were Judges Manning, Marr, Egan, 
Spencer, and De Blanc, with Alfred Roman'as clerk. The other courts having been 
surrendered soon after, the judicial business of the State was conducted wholly by 
the Nicholls government. 



242 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
PROGRESS. 

Nicholls and the New Constitution. — We have seen 
that, in 1868, under the Republican administration, a new 
constitution was framed for Louisiana ; but it was clear that 
this constitution contained many unwise provisions, which 
must be corrected or removed. Accordingly the leading 
men of the State assembled in convention at New Orleans 
and drew up the constitution of 1879, under which we are 
now living. It is given in full, at the end of this volume. 

This constitution contained some important changes. In all 
previous constitutions (except in one framed in 1864, during 
the military rule of General Banks), there was a provision 
that the governor should not be elected for a second term until 
four years after the expiration of his first term. This provision 
was now abolished. Moreover, the courts of the State were 
remodeled on a novel plan, the chief feature of which was the 
establishment of courts of appeal, subject to the supervision 
of the Supreme Court. In general, we may say that this 
constitution made provision for the immense debt that had 
been contracted by the State ; it established a better system 
of public schools than had ever before existed in Louisiana ; 
and it confined within very narrow limits the powers of the leg- 
islature, so that the State might not be injured by unwise laws. 

Louis A. Wiltz, Governor, 1880-81 — S. D McEnery, 
Governor, 1881-88. — Louis A. Wiltz, who had been elected 
governor under the new constitution, was inaugurated in 
January, 1880. One of the provisions of the constitution 
was that the seat of government should be removed from 
New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The old Capitol build- 
ing in the latter city had been burned during the war, but 
immediate steps were now taken to rebuild it. Wiltz, who 
had been lieutenant-governor under Nicholls, and had won 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 



243 




an enviable reputation for himself as mayor of New Orleans 

in 1873-74, did not live through 

his term. At his death, in 1881, 

the lieutenant-governor, S. D. 

McEnery, succeeded him, and 

after serving the unexpired term, 

he was elected governor in 1884. 

Governor McEnery thus held the 

highest position in the gift of the 

people for seven years. 

The Jetties. — Up to the year 
1879 New Orleans lacked a good 
channel through the mouths of 
the Mississippi. Dredging ma- 
chines had been used to remove governor louis a. wiltz. 
the sand bars that constantly formed in the passes, and at 
various times iron harrows had been dragged over the obstruc- 
tions ; but nothing permanent had been accomplished. 
Vessels containing a million dollars' worth of goods were 

often aground on the bar for days, 
and the commerce of New Or- 
leans was seriously injured. In 
1874, however. Captain Jas. B. 
Eads, a distinguished engineer, 
proposed to try a plan that had 
been suggested by a French en- 
gineer soon after the founding of 
New Orleans. This was to build 
jetties, which, by confining the 
immense volume of water be- 
tween them, would force the 
river to dredge itself. The 
United States Government thought favorably of this propo- 
sition, and made large appropriations for the work. Thus 
encouraged, Eads began his jetties in 1871^ and finished them 




GOVERNOR S. D. m'eNERY. 



244 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

in four years. They are built in what is called the South 
Pass, and consist of two long lines of willow " mattresses," 
ballasted with stone and held in place by piles. The 
east jetty is a little over two miles long, while the west 
one is about a mile and a half. The work was a perfect 
success ; for a channel from twenty-six to thirty feet in depth 
was obtained where there had not been fifteen feet before ; 
and large vessels can now come up to New Orleans without 
any detention. Up to the year 1881, nearly six millions of 
dollars had been spent on the jetties ; and the success of the 
plan gained for Captain Eads the gratitude of Louisiana and 
a world-wide reputation. 



THE JETTIES. 

The Levees. — About the time the jetties were completed 
(1879), important progress was made in protecting Louisi- 
ana against the overflows and crevasses which every year 
seemed to become more destructive. In 1882, however, there 
came a great flood, which produced 384 crevasses. The extent 
of levee embankment swept away amounted in all to more 
than fifty-six miles. At first it seemed impossible to raise 
enough money to rebuild these levees, though it was clear that 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 245 

the prosperity of the State depended upon the protection of 
the rich plantations that lie along the banks of the rivers. In 
1883, however, a levee convention was called in Baton Rouge ; 
great interest was aroused ; money was raised ; and levee 
building on a large scale was undertaken. Timely assist- 
ance, moreover, came from the United States Government, 
which had already begun to appreciate the fact that the care 
of the levees on the Mississippi is a matter of national im- 
portance. In meeting the terrible difficulties of this period. 
Governor McEnery showed such zeal and ability that he 
gained for himself the gratitude of the whole State. 

This good work was continued on a larger scale than ever 
before during the second term of Governor Nicholls. From 
the time of the convention down to the year 1S93, the sums 
spent upon the levees by the General Government and the 
State Boards amounted to many millions of dollars. The 
results of this wise policy were seen in the flood of 1890. In 
this year the water rose higher than in 1882 ; but the whole 
breakage in eleven hundred miles of levees was only four 
and one-quarter miles in extent.* Since then the United 
States Government has made an appropriation of ten million 
dollars for the Mississippi. With this sum and the amounts 
raised by the States most interested, it is promised by the en- 
gineers that the South shall have "a system of levees capable 
of controlling all floods in the Mississippi." 

Maritime Sanitation. — In 1878 over four thousand per- 
sons died of yellow fever in Louisiana. Some years later, 
however, Dr. Joseph Holt, of New Orleans, established at 
the mouth of the Mississippi a system of disinfecting vessels 
which won for him a national reputation. Improvements 
were made by his successor. Dr. C. P. Wilkinson, and by Dr. 
S. R. Oliphant, until the quarantine station is now the best 
equipped in the world. Since the establishment of this new 
system there has been no yellow fever in Louisiana ; at last 

* ''Memoirs of Louisiana." 



246 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



the State seems to have been freed from the terrible scourge 
which formerly did so much to injure commerce and to pre- 
vent immigration. Many physicians once believed that the 
disease originated in New Orleans and could not be kept out 
by quarantine ; but the present admirable system has proved 
the contrary. It may be added that Louisiana is now one of 
the healthiest States in the Union ; for the mildness of the cli- 
mate, and the out-door life which such a climate renders pos- 
sible, preserve the inhabitants from many of the terrible dis- 
eases so common in the North, 




THE CAPITOL AT BATON ROUGE. 



The Cotton Centennial Exposition. — In the year 1784 
the earliest shipment of cotton was made from Charleston, 
S. C. It consisted of six bags (about one bale). To cele- 
brate the one hundredth anniversary of this event, a great 
Centennial Exposition was opened in New Orleans during 
the year 1884. The largest exposition building the world 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 



247 



had ever seen was built, and thousands of visitors flocked to 
Louisiana from the North, the East, and the West. They 
saw the beauty of our Southern land and enjoyed the hospi- 
tality of our Southern people. The Exposition, if it accom- 
plished nothing else, enabled the Northern and Southern peo- 
ple to know each other better, and removed much of the bit- 
terness that had been handed down as a relic of the war. 

The annual Carnival of New Orleans, probably the most 
splendid pageant ever seen in the world, has also played its 
part in drawing the two sections of the country more closely 
together. 
S ' ' --^ 








THE LEVEE AT NEW ORLEANS. 

Nicholls' Second Term as Governor. 1888-1892. — 

In 1S88, Francis T. Nicholls was called once more to the 
governor's chair. His great services in asserting the rights 
of his State and standing firm during the troublous times of 
1876-77, had greatly endeared him to the people of Louis- 
iana, and they showed their appreciation of his sterling qual- 
ities by giving him a second term. During his administra- 
tion a fierce contest arose over the renewal of the Louisiana 
Lottery charter. As the Lottery Company offered a large 



248 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



4 




annual sum to the State for this renewal, many people were 
in favor of granting it. But the Governor and some other 
prominent men declared themselves opposed to the contin- 
uance of lotteries, and a strong anti-lottery party sprung up. 
As both sides canvassed the State, there was a great deal of 
excitement. Finally, however the United States Govern- 
ment refused the Lottery Company the use of the mails ; 
whereupon the managers of that corporation withdrew their 
offer. 

Murphy J. Foster, Governor. 1892. — . — Murphy J. Fos- 
ter, "the man from St. 
Mary," who had been the 
anti-lottery candidate for gov- 
ernor, was soon after elected 
over three opponents. The 
lieutenant-governor chosen at 
the same time was Charles 
Parlange, of Pointe Coupee. 
Coming into office after this 
bitter contest, in which the 
passions of two parties were 
greatly excited. Governor 
Foster, by his personal mag- 
GovERNOR MURPHY J. FOSTER, nctism aud his wise adminis- 
tration, has won the praise even of his political enemies. 

Prosperity. — During the last sixteen years the prosperity 
of the State has been very remarkable. Now that there is 
deep water at the mouth of the Mississippi, thousands of ves- 
sels visit every year the docks of New Orleans, and bear 
-away to all parts of the world not only sugar and cotton, the 
products of the South, but also great cargoes of grain sent 
down by the Western States. 

Sugar and Cotton. — Improved methods have made great 
changes in the sugar industry. "A quarter of a century ago 
" the yield of sugar was one pound from forty-five pounds of 




RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 249 

'^ cane ; at the present day in large factories the yield is one 
" pound from nine pounds of cane." Moreover, large cen- 
tral sugarhouses have been built, which buy the cane from 
the small planter and save him a great deal of expense. This 
economy in the manufacture, together with the bounty now 
paid to the planters by the United States Government, has 
given a new impulse to sugar planting. 

The cotton crop of 1891-92 was the most extraordinary in 
the history of the South. It amounted to nearly nine millions 
of bales. Of this crop Louisiana produced about 740,000 
bales — more than her usual share. 

Immigration from the West — Cultivation of Rice. — 
Within the last few years a thousand families of settlers from 
Iowa, Kansas, and other Western States have crowded into 
the parishes of Southwestern Louisiana. The changes that 
these worthy people have produced in this portion of the 
State are so remarkable that they seem to be the result of a 
magical transformation. 

The chief settlements of the new-comers are in Calcasieu, 
and in parts of Vermillion and Cameron. At first they de- 
voted themselves more particularly to grass-growing, fruit- 
raising, and the breeding of fine stock. In all these they were 
very successful on account of the new and improved methods 
which they introduced. Their greatest success, however, 
has been won in the cultivation of upland rice. This was 
first tried on a small scale, but the crop was made with so 
little expense, and was so profitable, that more lands were 
soon drained and more rice was planted, until an immense 
area is now under cultivation. In St. Charles, Plaquemines, 
and other river parishes, rice has been cultivated for a num- 
ber of years. In 1880, however, the crop of the State was 
only 80,000 barrels ; while in 1893, with the addition of the 
new plantations in Southwestern Louisiana, it is estimated 
that the crop will be about 850,000 barrels. Hence rice 
must now be placed among the great staple products of the 



250 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

State. Formerly it was grown chiefly in the Atlantic States ; 
but Louisiana nowyields far more than all these States to- 
gether. As the quality of the Louisiana rice is very fine, 
and as the crop can be produced here at less expense than in 
any other State, the planters have a new source of wealth. 

The settlers from the West, therefore, have introduced a 
wonderful spirit of activity and enterprise into Louisiana. 
The Acadians themselves, who have generally been slow in 
accepting improvements, are now imitating their Western 
brethren, and are trying new methods of agriculture. As a 
result the assessed value of property in this portion of Louis- 
iana has been trebled during the last ten years. No wonder, 
then, that the Louisianians appreciate the importance of 
bringing good immigrants into their State. 

Education and Literature. — Louisiana may well boast 
of her progress in education and literature. Every year her 
public school system is improving.* It is now clearly seen 
that the State can not depend upon private schools, however 
useful they may be ; a public system is the true method of 
preparing the youth of the land to become good citizens. In 
the higher education, also, there has been much progress. 
The Universities for white and colored in New Orleans, the 
University at Baton Rouge, the Normal School at Natchi- 
toches, together with the numerous colleges scattered over 
the State, are offering better advantages than ever before. 
The young men of Louisiana no longer need to seek an edu- 
cation in Northern colleges or in foreign countries. 

Finally, with peace and prosperity, there has sprung up in 
the South a new literature, and in the production of it Lou- 
isiana has played an important part. Brilliant writers in 
French and English are to be found within the State. Creole 
and American authors are successfully describing to the out- 
side world the manners, the customs, and the scenery of our 

* New Orleans owes a debt of gratitude to John McDonogh, who gave a large 
sum of money for the erection of handsome school buildings in the city. 



RESTORATION TO THE UNION. 251 

Southern land. This new literature has excited great en- 
thusiasm in the North, and we may predict that Louisiana 
will gain a high place for herself in the literary world. Her 
writers have an interesting field to explore, for no history 
is richer in romantic nicideats than that of Louisiana. 

With a glorious past to be proud of, and splendid oppor- 
tunities before her, the Pelican State can not fail to win still 
greater fame for herself and greater happiness for her peo- 
ple. 

QUESTIONS. 

Tell about the constitution of 1879. What two governors served 
after Nicholls ? To what city was the capital removed ? Tell about 
the jetties. Tell about the levees. The quarantine system. What 
did the Exposition of 1884 celebrate ? Influence of the Nevv^ Orleans 
Carnival. Nicholls' second term and the lottery contest. Who suc- 
ceeded Nicholls in 1892 ? Give some evidences of the prosperity of 
Louisiana. Tell about sugar. Cotton. Tell about the Western im- 
migrants and the cultivation of rice. Education and literature in 
Louisiana. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES, POPULATION, AND 
RESOURCES. 



The area of Louisiana is 45,420 square miles. The population in 
1810 was 75,556; it was in 1890 1,118,587. The State is divided into 
fifty-nine parishes, the names of which are as follows: 

Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, 
Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Con- 
cordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, 
Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, 
Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, 
Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, 
Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, 
St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, 
Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermillion, Vernon, Wash- 
ington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, 
Winn. 

The chief cities, with their population in 1890, are: 

New Orleans, 242,039; Shreveport, 11,979; Baton Rouge, 10,478. 

Rivers and Streams. — Besides the three great rivers, the Missis- 
sippi, the Red and the Ouachita, there are innumerable little lakes 
and over two hundred bayous; so that Louisiana doubtless has more 
water courses than any other State in the Union. 

Soil and Products. — The geological features of Louisiana are very 
simple. The three formations found in the State are the cretaceous or 
chalky^ the tertiary^ and the post-tertiary.* It is said that the chalky 
formation underlies the whole State; it may be seen cropping out in 
the limestone hills of St. Landry and Winn. All the salt deposits are 
found in this formation. Above this comes the ^e;'//a;'j, which under- 
lies the bluff lands; and on top of this is the post-tertiary, of which 
the rich alluvial lands of the State are composed. 

The following is the description which Prof. Lockett, formerly of 
the Louisiana State University, has given of the formation of these 
bluff and alluvial lands: 

"It is likely," says he, "that a broad estuary or arm of the sea once 

♦This term in geology is applied to all the most recent formations. 



254 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



extended as far inland as the junction of the Ohio and tlie Mississippi. 
Fine mud and silt, however, were washed into this estuary from the 
higher lands, and floating gently towards the sea, were deposited in a 
deep stratum, whose upper surface was a broad submerged plain. 
This stratum of silt completely filled up what we now call the Missis- 
sippi bottom, and the broad plain extended out to the hill-side slopes 
on the east and west to a distance of twenty miles from the limits of 
the present alluvial lands. But a great continental upheaval took 
place, and this plain was raised several hundred feet above its old- 
time level. The old Mississippi had then to wash out for itself a new 
channel to the sea, and having the easily dissolved silt to work upon, 
the mighty river swept much of its former bed into the gulf. In so 
doing it left those high bluffs on which Baton Rouge, Natchez, and 
Vicksburg now stand." 

Products. — South of 31 deg. north latitude the State is well adapted 
to the production of sugar, cotton, and rice; but north of that line 
the great staple is cotton. Indian corn, also, is grown in consider- 
able quantities. In the parishes of St. James and Natchitoches the 
light, sandy soil produces the famous strong tobacco called ^'perique." 
This tobacco derives its name from Senor Perique, a Spaniard, who 
first planted it many years ago. It is much sought after in Europe 
and America. In the southern part of the State, tropical fruits reach 
great perfection, especially oranges, bananas, and figs. The Louisi- 
ana oranges are superior in sweetness to those of Florida. 

Animals. — Deer, wild-cats, panthers, and bears are found in Louis- 
iana. The birds of the State, which 
are very numerous, have been made 
known to the world by the illustrious 
John James Audubon. Audubon was 
born on a Louisiana plantation in 1780. 
When he was young he showed his 
fondness for birds by keeping a num- 
ber of them as pets. When he grew 
up he published the ^' Birds of Amer- 
ica," a work that contained life-sized 
drawings made by himself. It was sold 
by subscription at one thousand dol- 
lars a copy, and made Audubon fa- 
mous. He died in New York, and on 
the 26th of April, 1893, a beautiful monument to his memory was un- 
veiled in that city. 




JOHN JAMES AUDUBON. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES, ETC. 255 

Minerals. — One of the most important minerals in Louisiana is 
salt, which is found in various parts of the State, but chiefly, as we 
have seen, on Avery's Island. From this island the exports in one 
day frequently amount to 400 tons. Near Lake Charles there is a large 
deposit of sulphur and gypsum. The other mineral products of Louis- 
iana are not important. 

The Lands of Louisiana. — According to Prof. Lockett, there are 
eight kinds of land in the State: good uplands, pine hills, bluff 
lands, pine flats, prairies, alluvial lands, wooded swamps, and coast 
marsh. 

Thus we see that Louisiana has a very diversified surface. Besides 
the rich plantations and the broad prairies for cattle raising, there are 
immense forests containing oak, cypress, pine, and many other valu- 
able kinds of trees. According to the report of the Hon. T. W. 
Poole, Commissioner of Immigration, from which we draw many of 
the following details, the good uplands embrace chiefly the parishes 
of Sabine, De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Red River, Bienville, Webster, 
Lincoln, Jackson, Union, and portions of Morehouse and Ouachita. 

These, which are the northwestern parishes of the State, were set- 
tled principally by worthy people from Georgia, Alabama, and other 
Atlantic States. They have adopted various professions; but most of 
them are industrious and successful farmers, who have raised this 
portion of the State to a high degree of prosperity. Instead of large 
plantations, such as exist in Southern Louisiana, we find here a num, 
ber of small farms, with numerous towns and villages. 

The pine hills embrace chiefly the following parishes: Vernon- 
Grant, Winn, Catahoula, Rapides, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Wash- 
ington, and St. Tammany. The timber in these parishes is extremely 
valuable. 

In the bluff lands are included parts of the following parishes: 
West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Livingston, East and West Feli- 
ciana, and East Baton Rouge. The pine flats are found in the west- 
ern portion of Calcasieu parish. They form an area of poor lands, 
generally covered with water. 

The prairie lands are found in St. Landry, Lafayette, Acadia, St. 
Martin, Iberia, Vermillion, and St. Mary. '^ These seven parishes," 
says Col. Hillyard, " contain more than 3,000,000 acres of tillable 
land, most of it of inexhaustible fertility. Even most of the sea- 
marsh, and all of the swamp lands, may be reclaimed by local levees 
and draining machines, and may become the most productive rice and 
sugar lands of the State. On thousands of acres the grass grows on 



256 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

a smooth surface under the waving branches of noble trees. The fat 
herds grazing upon these green prairies help in giving the finishing 
touch to this magnificent landscape scenery." Five of these parishes, 
St. Mary, Iberia, Vermillion, St. Martin, and Lafayette, once formed 
the Attakapas region, and they are still called the ^'Attakapas par- 
ishes." 

Through this beautiful region runs the lovely Teche, which has 
been described in the "Evangeline" of Longfellow. For it was the 
Teche that the heroine of this poem ascended, seeking in vain for her 
husband Gabriel, from whom she had been separated in her native 
country. The following is Longfellow's description of the Attakapas 
region : 

" Beautiful is the land with its prairies and forest and fruit trees; 
Under the feet a garden of flowers, and the bluest of heavens 
Bending above, and resting its dome on the walls of the forest. 
They who dwell there have named it the ' Eden of Louisiana.' " 

In this '^Eden of Louisiana " still reside the descendants of the 
Acadian exiles. Until they began the cultivation of rice their man- 
ner of life had changed very little since they settled the country 
about the middle of the eighteenth century. They are industrious, 
prosperous, and many of them rich. When the day's work is done 
they delight to assemble and spend the evening in dancing and merry- 
making. They still weave the wonderful Attakapas cloth, so well 
known in Louisiana. Some of the most distinguished men in the 
State are descended from Acadian ancestors. 

In St. Mary parish it is said that there is not an acre of poor land. 
The chief product is sugar, and the quantity produced is so great 
that St. Mary has won for herself the title of the " banner parish" of 
the State. 

Alluvial Lands. — These lands are so-called from alluvium, which 
means ^'earth, sand, and gravel, transported by rivers, floods, and 
other causes, and deposited upon land not permanently submerged 
beneath the waters of lakes or seas." The alluvial lands constitute 
the plantations along the banks of all the streams in Louisiana. 
They are exceedingly rich, and form an area of about 12,300 square 
miles. 

Wooded Swamps and Coast Marsh. — The last divisions of which 
we have to speak are the wooded swamps and coast marsh. These 
swamps, which were formerly very extensive, are now being redeemed 
by drainage. Many of them, when they are properly drained, and 
the trees are felled, will be classed as alluvial lands. The coast marsh 



PHYSICAL FEATURES, ETC. 257 

is valuable for game and for pasturage. A large quantity of it is 
owned by the State, and may be purchased for less than one dollar 
an acre. 

The South-Eastern Parishes. — It has been impossible within our 
limits to give an account of all the parishes in the State; though the 
history of many of them is extremely interesting. A few words, how- 
ever, may be added in regard to St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and Orleans. 
The first two produce large quantities of sugar, rice, and vegetables. 
They contain also the most important orange groves in the State. 
There is no more beautiful sight in Louisiana than the acres of 
orange trees along the banks of the Mississippi, from New Orleans to 
Ft. Jackson. These lands are extremely valuable. A one hundred 
acre grove, says Commissioner Poole, produced in 1890, a crop of 
oranges that sold for $12,000. Of late years Cameron, in Southwest 
ern Louisiana, has also become a great orange-raising parish. 

The whole of the parish of Orleans is included within the limits 
of the city of New Orleans, so the city may be said to have an area 
of about 187 square miles, a larger area than that of any other city 
in the Union * New Orleans is now a magnificent city, and is in- 
creasing every year in manufactures, in population, and in wealth. It 
has taken its position as one of the great commercial centres of the 
world. 

QUESTIONS. 

What is the area of Louisiana.? Increase of population from iSio 
to 1890? How many parishes are there? Chief cities and their pop- 
ulation. Three great rivers. How many bayous? Give the main 
geological features of Louisiana. Tell about the formation of the 
*' Mississippi bottom " and the origin of bluff lands. What are the 
chief products of Louisiana? Its minerals? What animals are found? 
Who was Audubon? Tell about Louisiana uplands. Pine hills. Bluff 
lands. Pine flats. Prairie lands. Tell about the Teche and the Attak- 
apas region. What are the alluvial lands? Wooded swamps? Coast 
marsh? Where are the orange groves of Louisiana? What is the area 
of New Orleans? 

* The actual area of the city is estimated at 37 square miles. 



LIST OF STATE OFFICERS, 1893 



Governor, Murphy J. Foster, of St. Mary. 

LteHte?iant-Goverfior, Charles Parlance, of Pointe Coupee. 

Secretary of State, T. S. Adams. Treasurer, W. W. Heard. 
Auditor, John Pickett, Atfy-General, M.J. Cunningham. 

SHperinte7ident of Education , A. D. Lafargue. 

JUDICIARY. 

Supreme Court — Chief Justice, F. T. Nicholls; Associate Justices, 
S. D. McEnery, Chas. E. Fenner, L. B. Watkins, and Jos. A. 
Breaux. 

LEGISLATURE. 

The number of Senators is 37. The number of Representatives is 
98. The list of names can not be given here. 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. 

This Board consists of the Governor, the Attorney-General, and the 
Superintendent of Education, who are all ex-ojficio members, and of 
the following citizens, appointed by the Governor, one from each 
Congressional district: Alcee Fortier, of New Orleans; Max 
Heller, of New Orleans; Thomas Overton, of Marksville; William 
Clegg, of Lafayette; F. Seip, of Alexandria, and Franklin 
Garrett, of Monroe. 



CONSTITUTION OF LOUISIANA. 

ADOPTED JULY 23, 1879. 

Wi^/t the Amejidments doiv7i to iSgj inserted in their proj>er places. 



PREAMBLE. 

We, the people of the State of Louisiana, in order to establish 
justice, insure domestic tranquillity, promote the general welfare 
and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, 
acknowledging and invoking the guidance of Almighty God, the au- 
thor of all good government, do ordain and establish this constitution. 

BILL OF RIGHTS. 

Article i. All government of right originates with the people, is 
founded on their will alone, and is instituted solely for the good of 
the whole, deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed. 
Its only legitimate end is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of 
life, liberty and property. When it assumes other functions it is 
usurpation and oppression. 

Art. 2. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, 
houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures 
shall not be violated; and no warrant shall issue except uponprob- 
able cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describ- 
ing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. 

Art. 3. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of 
a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not 
be abridged. This shall not prevent the passage of laws to punish 
those who carry weapons concealed. D. sec. 915, 2309. 

Art. 4. No law shall be passed respecting an establishment of 
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the 
freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people 
peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress 
of grievances. 

Art. 5. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in 
this State otherwise than for the punishment of crime, whereof the 
party shall have been duly convicted. Prosecutions shall be by in- 
dictment or information; provided^ that no person shall be held to 
answer for a capital crime unless on a presentment or indictment by 
a grand jury, except in cases arising in the militia when in active 
service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be 
twice put in jeopardy of life or liberty for the same offence, except 
on his own application for a new trial, or where there is a mistrial, or 
a motion in arrest of judgment is sustained. D. 977. 

Art. 6. No person shall be compelled to give evidence against 
himself in a criminal case or in any proceeding that may subject 



262 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

him to criminal prosecution, except where otherwise provided in 
this constitution; nor be deprived of life, liberty or property 
without due process of law. 

Art. 7. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the 
right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury, except that, in 
cases where the penalty is not necessarily imprisonment at hard labor 
or death the general assembly may provide for the trial thereof by a 
jury less than twelve in number; provided, that the accused in every 
instance shall be tried in the parish wherein the offence shall have 
been committed, except in ca«es of change of venue. Acts 1880, p. 
35, No. 35, sec. 4; D. sec. 1021, 1031. 

Art. 8. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the 
right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be 
confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory pro- 
cess for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to defend himself and 
to have the assistance of counsel, and to have the right to challenge 
jurors peremptorily, the number of challenges to be fixed by statute. 
D. sec. 992. 

Art. 9. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines be 
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. All persons 
shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, 
where the proof is evident or the presumption great, or unless after 
conviction for any crime or offence punishable with death or im- 
prisonment at hard labor. D. sec. loio, ion. 

Art. 10. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be 
suspended, unless when, in case of rebellion or invasion, the public 
safety may require it. C. P., art. 791. 

Art. II. All courts shall be open, and every person for injury done 
him in his rights, lands, goods, person or reputation, shall have ade- 
quate remedy by due process of law and justice, administered without 
denial or unreasonable delay. 

Art. 12. The military shall be in subordination t® the civil power. 

Art. 13. This enumeration of rights shall not be construed to deny 
or impair other rights of the people not herein expressed. 

DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS. 

Art. 14. The powers of the government of the State of Louisiana 
shall be divided into three distinct departments, and each of them be 
confided to a separate body of magistracy, to-wit: Those which are, 
legislative to one, those which are executive to another, and those 
which are judicial to another. 

Art. 15. No one of these departments, nor any person or collection 
of persons holding office in one of them, shall exercise power prop- 
erly belonging to either of the others, except in the instances herein- 
after expressly directed or permitted. 

LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT. 

Apporttonme?it. 

Art. 16. Representation in the house of representatives shall be 
equal and uniform, and shall be regulated and ascertained by the 



CONSTITUTION. 263 

total population. Each parish shall have at least one representative. 
The first enumeration to be made by the State authorities under this 
constitution shall be made in the jear eighteen hundred and ninety; 
and subsequent enumerations shall be made every tenth year there- 
after, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law, for the purpose 
of ascertaining the total population and the number of qualified elec- 
tors in each parish and election district. At its first regular session 
after each enumeration the general assembly shall apportion the rep- 
resentation among the several parishes and election districts on the 
basis of the total population as aforesaid. A representative number 
shall be fixed; and each parish and election district shall have as 
many representatives as the aggregate number of its population will 
entitle it to, and an additional representative for any fraction exceed- 
ing one-half the representative iiumber. The number of representa- 
tives shall not be more than ninety- eight nor less than seventy. 

Art. 17. The general assembly, in every j'ear in which they shall 
apportion representation in the house of representatives, shall divide 
the State into senatorial districts. No parish shall be divided in the 
formation of a senatorial district — the parish of Orleans excepted. 
Whenever a new parish shall be created it shall be attached to the 
senatorial district from which most of its territory was taken, or to 
another contiguous district, at the discretion of the general assembly, 
but shall not be attached to more than one district. The number of 
senators shall not be more than thirtj^-six nor less than twenty-four, 
and they shall be apportioned among the senatorial districts accord- 
ing to the total population contained in the several districts. 

Art. 18. Until an enumeration shall be made in accordance with 
articles sixteen and seventeen the State shall be divided into the fol 
lowing senatorial districts, with the number of senators hereinafter 
designated to each district: 

The first senatorial district shall be composed of the eighth and 
ninth wards of Orleans, and of the parishes of St. Bernard and Plaque- 
mines, and shall elect twa senators. 

The second district shall be composed of the fourth, fifth, sixth and 
seventh wards of Orleans and shall elect two senators. 

The third district shall be composed of the third ward of Orleans, 
and shall elect one senator. 

The fourth district shall be composed of the second and fifteenth 
wards (Orleans right bank) of Orleans, and shall elect one senator. 

The fifth district shall be composed of the first and tenth wards of 
Orleans, and shall elect one senator. 

The sixth district shall be composed of the eleventh, twelfth, thir- 
teenth, fourteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth wards of Orleans, and 
shall elect two senators. 

The seventh district shall be composed of the parishes of Jefferson, 
St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, and shall elect one senator. 

The eighth district shall be composed of the parishes of St. James 
and Ascension, and shall elect one senator. 

The ninth district shall be composed of the parishes of Terrebonne, 
Lafourche and Assumption, and shall elect two senators. 

The tenth district shall be composed of the parishes of St. Mary, 
Vermillion, Cameron and Calcasieu, and shall elect two senators. 



264 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

The eleventh district shall be composed of the parishes of St. Mar- 
tin, Iberia and Lafayette, and shall elect one senator. 

The twelfth district shall be composed of the parish of St. Landry, 
and shall elect two senators. 

The thirteenth district shall be composed of the parishes of Avoyelles 
and Pointe Coupee, and shall elect one senator. 

The fourteenth district shall be composed of the parishes of Iber- 
ville and West Baton Rouge, and shall elect one senator. 

The fifteenth district shall be composed of the parishes of East and 
West Feliciana, and shall elect one senator. 

The sixteenth district shall be composed of the parish of East Baton 
Rouge, and shall elect one senator. 

The seventeenth district shall be composed of the parishes of St. 
Helena, Livingston, Tangipahoa, Washington an-d St. Tammany, and 
shall elect one senator. 

The eighteenth district shall be composed of the parishes of Rapides 
and Vernon, and shall elect one senator. 

The nineteenth district shall be composed of the parishes of 
Natchitoches, Sabine, DeSoto and Red River, and shall elect two 
senators 

The twentieth district shall be composed of the parish of Caddo, 
and shall elect one senator. 

The twenty-first district shall be composed of the parishes of 
Bossier, Webster, Bienville and Claiborne, and shall elect two sen- 
ators. 

The twenty-second d'istrict shall be composed of the parishes of 
Union, Morehouse, Lincoln and West Carroll, and shall elect two 
senators. 

The twenty-third district shall be composed of the parishes of 
Ouachita, Richland, Caldwell, Franklin and Jackson, and shall elect 
two senators. 

The twenty-fourth district shall be composed of the parishes of 
Catahoula, Winn and Grant, and shall elect one senator. 

The twenty-fifth district shall be composed of the parishes of East 
Carroll and Madison, and shall elect one senator. 

The twenty-sixth district shall be composed of the parishes of 
Tensas and Concordia, and shall elect one senator. 

Thirty-six senators in all. 

And the representatives shall be apportioned among the parishes 
and representative districts as follows: For the parish of Orleans: 

First representative district, first ward, one representative. 

Second representative district, second ward, two representatives. 

Third representative district, third ward, three representatives. 

Fourth representative district, fourth ward, one representative. 

Fifth representative district, fifth ward, two representatives. 

Sixth representative district, sixth ward, one representative. 

Seventh representative district, seventh ward, two representatives. 

Eighth representative district, eighth ward, one representative. 

Ninth representative district, ninth ward, two representatives. 

Tenth representative district, tenth ward, two representatives. 

Eleventh representative district, eleventh ward, two representatives. 

Twelfth representative district, twelfth ward, one representative. 



CONSTITUTION. 265 

Thirteenth representative district, thirteenth and fourteenth wards, 
one representative. 

Fourteenth representative district, sixteenth and seventeenth wards, 
one representative. 

Fifteenth representative district, fifteenth ward, one representative. 

The parishes of Ascension, West Baton Bouge, Bienville, Bossier, 
Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, East Carroll, West Carroll, Cata- 
houla, Concordia, West Feliciana, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Jackson, 
Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Livingston, Morehouse, Ouachita, 
Plaquemines, Pointe Couple, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Ber- 
nard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. 
Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vermillion, Vernon, 
Washington, Webster and Winn, each one representative. 

The parishes of Assumption, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, Caddo, 
Claiborne, DeSoto, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafourche, Madison, 
Natchitoches, Rapides, St. Mary, Tensas and Terrebonne, each two 
representatives. 

The parish of St. Landry four representatives. 

This apportionment of senators and representatives shall not be 
changed or altered in any manner until after the enumeration shall 
have been taken by the State in eighteen hundred and ninety, in ac- 
cordance with the provisions of articles sixteen and seventeen. 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 

Art. iq. The legislative power of the State shall be vested in a gen- 
eral assembly, which shall consist of a senate and house of represent- 
atives. 

Art. 20. The style of the laws of this State shall be. Be it enacted 
by the general assembly of the State of Louisiana. 

Art. 21. The general assembly shall meet at the seat of govern- 
ment on the second Monday of May, eighteen hundred and eighty- 
two, at twelve o'clock noon, and biennially thereafter. Its first ses- 
sion under this constitution may extend to a period of ninety days, 
but any subsequent session shall be limited to a period of sixty days. 
Should a vacancy occur in either house the governor shall order an 
election to fill such vacancy for the remainder of the term. 

Art. 22. Every elector under this constitution shall be eligible to a 
seat in the house of representatives, and every elector who has reached 
the age of twenty-five years shall be eligible to the senate; provided, 
that no person shall be eligible to the general assembly unless at the 
time of his election he has been a citizen of the State for five years, 
and an actual resident of the district or parish from which he may 
be elected for two years immediately preceding his election. The 
seat of any member who may change his residence from the district 
orparish which he represents shall thereby be vacated, any declara- 
tion of a retention of domicile to the contrary notwithstanding; and 
members of the general assembly shall be elected for a term of four 
years. 

Art. 23. Each house shall judge of the qualifications, election and 
returns of iis own members, choose its own officers, except president 
of the senate, determine the rules of its proceedings, and may punish 



266 HISTORY OF I.OUISIANA. 

its members for disorderly conduct and contempt, and, with the con- 
currence of two-thirds of all its members elected, expel a member. 

Art. 24. Either house, during the session, may punish by im- 
prisonment any person not a member who shall have been guilty of 
disrespect by disorderly or contemptuous behavior, but such impris- 
onment shall not exceed ten da3^s for each offence. 

Art. 25. No senator or representative shall, during the term for 
which he was elected, nor for one year thereafter, be appointed or 
elected to any civil office of profit under this State which may have 
been created or the emoluments of which may have been increased by 
the general assembly during the time such senator or representative 
was a member thereof. 

Art. 26. The members of the general assembly shall in all cases, 
except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from 
arrest during their attendance at the sessions of their respective 
houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any 
speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any 
other place. D. sec. 1538. 

Art. 27. The members of the general assembly shall receive a com- 
pensation not to exceed four dollars per day during their attendance, 
and their actual traveling expenses going to and returning from the 
seat of government; but in no instance shall more than thirty dollars 
each way be allowed for traveling expenses. D. sec. 1532, 1535. 

Art. 28. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings and 
cause the same to be published immediately after the close of the 
session. When practicable the minutes of each day's session shall be 
printed and placed in the hands of members on the day following. 
The original journal shall be preserved after publication in the office 
of the secretary of State, but there shall be required no other record 
thereof. 

Art. 29. Every law enacted by the general assembly shall embrace 
but one object, and that shall be expressed in the title. 

Art. 30. No law shall be revived or amended by reference to its 
title, but in such cases the act revived or section as amended shall 
be re-enacted and published at length. 

Art. 31. The general assembly shall never adopt any system or 
code of laws by general reference to such systein or code of laws, but 
in all cases shall recite at length the several provisions of the laws it 
may enact. 

Art. 32. Not less than a majority of the members of each house of 
the general assembly shall form a quorum to transact business; but a 
smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and shall have power 
to compel the attendance of absent members. 

Art. 33. Neither house during the session of the general assembly 
shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three 
days nor to any other place than that in which it may be sitting. 

Art. 34. The yeas and nays on any question in either house shall, 
at the desire of one-fifth of the members elected, be entered on the 
journal. 

Art. 35. All bills for raising revenue or appropriating money shall 
originate in the house of representatives, but the senate may propose 
or concur in amendments as in other bills. 



CONSTITUTION. 267 

Art. 36. No bill, ordinance or resolution, intended to have the 
effect of a law, which shall have been rejected by either house, shall 
be again proposed in the same house during the same session, under 
the same or any other title, without the consent of a majority of the 
house by which the same was rejected. 

Art. 37. Every bill shall be read on three different days in eacl. 
house, and no bill shall be considered for final passage unless it has 
been read once in full, and the same has been reported on by a commit- 
tee; nor shall any bill become a law unless, on its final passage, the 
vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the members voting for 
or against the same be entered on the journal, and a majority of the 
members elected to each house be recorded thereon as voting in its 
favor. 

Art. 38. No amendment to bills by one house shall be concurred in 
by the other, except by a vote of a majority of the members elected 
thereto, taken by yeas and nays, and the names of those voting for 
or against recorded upon the journal thereof. And reports of com- 
mittees of conference shall be adopted in either house only by a ma- 
jority of the members elected thereto, the vote to be taken by yeas 
and nays, and the names of those voting for or against recorded upon 
the journal. 

Art. 39. Whenever a bill that has been passed by both houses is 
enrolled and placed in possession of the house in which it originated 
the title shall be read, and, at the request of any five members, the 
bill shall be read in full, when the speaker of the house of representa- 
tives or the president of the senate, as the case may be, shall act at 
once, sign it in open house, and the fact of signing shall be noted on 
the journal; thereupon the clerk or secretary shall immediately con- 
vey the bill to the other house, whose presiding officer shall cause a 
suspension of all other business to read and sign the bill in open ses- 
sion and without delay. As soon as bills are signed by the speaker of 
the house and president of the senate they shall be taken at once and 
on the same day to the governor by the clerk of the house or secretary 
of the senate. 

Art. 40. No law passed by the general assembly, except the general 
appropriation act, or act appropriating money for the expenses of the 
general assembly, shall take effect until promulgated. A law shall be 
considered promulgated at the place where the State journal is pub- 
ished the day after the publication of such law in the State journal, 
and in all other parts of the State twenty days after such publication. 

x\rt. 41. The clerical officers of the two houses shall be a secre- 
tary of the senate and clerk of the house of representatives, with such 
assistants as may be necessary; but the expenses for clerks and em- 
ployes shall not'exceed sixty dollars daily for the senate nor seventy 
dollars daily for the house. 

Art, 42. All stationery, printing, paper and fuel used in the legis- 
lative and other departments of government shall be furnished, and 
the printing, binding and distributing of the laws, journal and depart- 
ment reports, and all other printing and binding, and the repair- 
ing and furnishing the halls and rooms used for the meetings of the 
general assembly and its committees, shall be done under contract, to 
be given to the lowest responsible bidder, below such maximum price 



268 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

and under such regulations as shall be prescribed bj law; provided^ 
that such contracts shall be awarded only to citizens of the State. No 
member or officer of any of the departments of the government shall 
be in any way interested in such contracts; and all such contracts 
shall be subject to the approval of the governor, the president of the 
senate and speaker of the house of representatives, or of any two of 
them. D. sec. 2986, 3005. 

LIMITATION OF LEGISLATIVE POWERS. 

Art. 43. No money shall be drawn from the treasury except in 
pursuance of specific appropriation made by law; nor shall any ap- 
propriation of money be made for a longer term than two years. A 
regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all pub- 
lic moneys shall be published every three months, in such manner as 
shall be prescribed by law. 

Art. 44. The general assembly shall have no power to contract or 
to authorize the contracting of any debt or liability, on behalf of the 
State, or to issue bonds or other evidence of indebtedness thereof, 
except for the purpose of repelling invasion or for the suppression of 
insurrection. 

Art. 45. The general assembly shall have no power to grant or to 
authorize any parish or municipal authority to grant any extra compen- 
sation, fee or allowance to a public officer, agent, servant or contrac- 
tor, nor pay nor authorize the payment of any claim against the State, 
or any parish or municipality of the State, under any agreement or 
contract made without express authority of law; and all such unau- 
thorizr.d agreements or contracts shall be null and void. D. sec. 2448. 

2743- 

Art. 46. The general assembly shall not pass any local or special 
law on the following specified objects: 

For the opening and conducting of elections, or fixing or changing 
the place of voting. 

Changing the names of persons. 

Changing the venue in civil or criminal cases. 

Authorizing the laying out, opening, closing, altering or maintain- 
ing roads, highways, streets or alleys, or relating to ferries and 
bridges, or incorporating bridge or ferry companies, except for the 
erection of bridges crossing streams which form boundaries between 
this and any other State. 

Authorizing the adoption or legitimation of children or the emanci- 
pation of minors. 

Granting divorces. 

Changing the law of descent or succession. 

Affecting the estates of minors or persons under disabilities. 

Remitting fines, penalties and forfeitures, or refunding moneys 
legally paid into the treasury. 

Authorizing the constructing of street passenger railroads in any 
incorporated town or city. 

Regulating labor, trade, manufacturing or agriculture. 

Creating corporations, or amending, renewing, extending or 
explaining the charter thereof; provided, that this shall not apply to 



CONSTITUTION. 269 

the corporation of the city of New Orleans, or to the organization of 
levee districts and parishes. 

Granting to any corporation, association or individual, any special 
or exclusive right, privilege or immunity. 

Extending the time for the assessment or collection of taxes, or for 
the relief of any assessor or collector of taxes, from the due perform- 
ance of his official duties, or of his securities from liability; nor shall 
any such be passed by any political corporation of this State. 

Regulating the practice or jurisdiction of any court, or changing 
the rules of evidence in any judicial proceeding or inquiry before 
courts, or providing or changing methods for the collection of debts, 
or the enforcement of judgments, or prescribing the effects of judicial 
sales. 

Exemption of property from taxation. 

Fixing the rate of interest. 

Concerning any civil or criminal actions. 

Giving effect to informal or invalid w^ills or deeds, or to any illegal 
disposition of property. 

Regulating the management of public schools, the building or 
repairing of schoolhouses, and the raising of money for such pur- 
poses. 

Legalizing the unauthorized or invalid acts of any officer, servant 
or agent of the State, or of any parish or municipality thereof. 

Art. 47. The general assembly shall not indirectly enact special or 
local laws by the partial repeal of a general law; but laws repealing 
local or special laws may be passed. 

Art. 48. No local or special law shall be passed on any subject not 
enumerated in article forty-six of this constitution, unless notice of 
the intention to apply therefor shall have been published, without cost 
to the State, in the locality where the matter or thing to be affected 
may be situated, which notice shall state the substance of the con- 
templated law, and shall be published at least thirty days prior to the 
introduction into the general assembly of such bill, and in the same 
manner provided by law for the advertisement of judicial sales. The 
evidence of such notice having been published shall be exhibited in 
the general assembly before such act shall be passed, and every such 
act shall contain a recital that such notice has been given. 

Art. 49. No law shall be passed fixing the price of manual labor. 

Art. 50. Any member of the general assembly who has a personal 
or private interest in any measure or bill proposed or pending before 
the general assembly shall disclose the fact to the house of which he 
is a member, and shall not vote thereon. 

Art. 51. No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, 
directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of 
religion, or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister or teacher thereof, 
as such; and no preference shall ever be given to, nor any discrimina- 
tion made against any church, sect or creed of religion, or any form 
of religious faith or worship; nor shall any appropriations be made 
for private, charitable or benevolent purposes to any person or com- 
munity; provided, this shall not apply to the State asylums for the 
insane" and deaf, dumb and blind, and the charity hospitals and public 
charitable institutions conducted under State authority. 



270 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Art. 52. The general assembly shall have no power to increase the 
expenses of any office by appointing assistant officials. 

Art. 53. The general appropriation bill shall embrace nothing but 
appropriations for the ordinary expenses of the governrnent, interest 
on the public debt, public schools and public charities, and such bill 
shall be so itemized as to show for what account each and every ap- 
propriation shall be made. All other appropriations shall be made 
by separate bills, each embracing but one object. 

Art. 54. Each appropriation shall be for a specific purpose, and no 
appropriation shall be made under the head or title of contingent; 
nor shall any officer or department of government receive any amount 
from the treasury for contingencies or for a contingent fund. 

Art. 55. No appropriation of money shall be made by the general 
assembly in the last iive days of the session thereof. A.11 appropria- 
tions, to be valid, shall be passed and receive the signatures of the 
president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives 
five full days before the adjournment sine die of the general assembly. 

Art. 56. The funds, credit, property or things of value of the State, 
or of any political corporation thereof, shall not be loaned, pledged 
or granted to or for any person or persons, association or corpora- 
tion, public or private; nor shall the State or any political corpora- 
tion purchase or subscribe to the capital or stock of any corporation 
or association whatever, or for any private enterprise; nor shall the 
State nor any political corporation thereof assume the liabilities of 
any political, municipal, parochial, private or other corporation or 
association whatsoever; nor shall the State undertake to carry on the 
business of any such corporation or association, or become a part 
owner therein ; provided^ the State, through the general assembly, 
shall have power to grant the right of way through its public lands to 
any railroad or canal. D. sec. 711, 724. 

Art. 57. The general assembly shall have no power to release or ex- 
tinguish, or to authorize the releasing or extinguishing, in whole or 
in part, the indebtedness, liability or obligation of any corporation 
or individual to this State, or to any parish or municipal corporation 
therein; provided, the heirs to confiscated property may be released 
of all taxes due thereon at the date of its reversion to them. 

EXECUTIVE department. 

Art. 58. The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieu- 
tenant-governor, auditor, treasurer and secretary of State. 

Art. 59. The supreme executive power of the State shall be vested 
in a chief magistrate, who shall be styled the governor of Louisiana. 
He shall hold his office during four years and, together with the lieu- 
tenant-governor, chosen for the same term, shall be elected as follows : 
The qualified electors for representatives shall vote for a governor 
and lieutenant-governor at the time and place of voting for represen- 
tatives. The returns of every election for governor and lieutenant- 
governor shall be sealed up separately from the returns of election of 
other officers, and be transmitted by the proper officer of every paristi 
to the secretary of State, who shall deliver them, unopened, to the 
general assembly then ndxt to be holden. The members of the gen- 



CONSTTTUTIOK. 27l 

eral assembly shall meet on the first Thursday after the day on which 
they assemble, in the house of representatives, to examine and count 
the votes. The person having the greatest number of votes for gov- 
ernor shall be declared duly elected; but in case two or more persons 
shall be equal and highest in the number of votes polled for governor, 
one of them shall be immediately chosen governor by the joint vote 
of the members of the general assembly. The person having the 
greatest number of votes for lieutenant-governor shall be lieutenant- 
governor; but if two or more persons shall be equal and highest in 
number of votes polled for lieutenant-governor, one of them shall be 
immediately chosen lieutenant-governor by joint vote of the members 
of the general assembly. 

Art. 6o. No person shall be eligible to the office of governor or 
lieutenant-governor who shall not have attained the age of thirty 
years, been ten years a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 
the State for the same space of time next preceding his election, or 
who shall be a member of congress, or shall hold office under the 
United States at the time of or within six months immediately pre- 
ceding the election for such office. 

Art. 6i. The governor shall enter on the discharge of his duties 
the first Monday next ensuing the announcement by the general 
assembly of the result of the election for governor; and shall con- 
tinue in office until the Monday next succeeding the day that his 
successor shall have been declared duly elected and shall have taken 
the oath or affirmation required by this constitution. 

Art. 62. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his removal 
from office, death, refusal or inability to qualify, disability, resigna- 
tion or absence from the State, the powers and duties of the office 
shall devolve upon the lieutenant-governor for the residue of the 
term, or until the governor, absent or impeached, shall return or be 
acquitted or the disability be removed. In the event of the death, or 
from whatever cause the office of lieutenant-governor shall become 
vacant, then, and in that event, the president j>ro tern, of the senate 
shall fill the office of lieutenant-governor, performing all the duties 
incident to the office and receiving its emoluments. 

Art. 63. The lieutenant-governor or officer discharging the duties of 
governor shall, during his administration, receive the same compen- 
sation to which the governor would have been entitled had he con- 
tinued in office. 

Art. 64. The lieutenant-governor shall by virtue of his office, be 
president of the senate, but shall have only a casting vote therein. 
The senate shall elect one of its members as president pro tempore of 
the senate. 

Art. 65. The lieutenant-governor shall receive for his services a 
salary which shall be double that of a member of the general assembly, 
and no more. 

Art. 66. The governor shall have power to grant reprieves for all 
offences against the State; and, except in cases of impeachment or 
treason, shall, upon the recommendation in writingof the lieutenant- 
governor, attorney-general and presiding judge of the court before 
which conviction was had, or of any two of them, have power to grant 
pardons, commute sentences and remit fines and forfeitures after 



272 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

conviction. In cases of treason he may grant reprieves until the end 
of the next session of the general assembly, in which body the power 
of pardoning is vested. 

Art. 67. The governor shall receive a salary of four thousand 
dollars per annum, payable monthly on his own warrant. 

Art. 68. He shall nominate and, by and with the advice and con- 
sent of the senate, appoint all officers whose offices are established by 
this constitution, and whose appointments or elections are not 
herein otherwise provided for; J>rovided, however, that the general 
assembly shall have the right to prescribe the mode of appointment 
or election to all offices created by it. 

Art. 69. The governor shall have the power to fill vacancies that 
may happen during the recess of the senate, in cases not otherwise 
provided for in this constitution, by granting commissions, which 
shall expire at the end of the next session; but no person who has 
been nominated for office and rejected shall be appointed to the same 
office during the recess of the senate. The failure of the governor to 
send into the senate the name of any person appointed for office, as 
herein provided, shall be equivalent to a rejection. D. sec. 2606. 

Art. 70. He may require information in writing from the officers 
in the executive department upon any subject relating to the duties 
of their respective offices. He shall be commander-in-chief of the 
militia of the State, except when they shall be called into the actual 
service of the United States. 

Art. 71. He shall from time to time give to the general assembly 
information respecting the situation of the State, and recommend to 
its consideration such measures as he may deem expedient. 

Art. 72. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, 
and he may, on extraordinary ^occasions, convene the general assem- 
bly at the seat of government, or, if that should have become dan- 
gerous from an enemy or from an epidemic, at a different place. The 
power to legislate shall be limited to the objects enumerated specifi- 
cally in the proclamation convening such extraordinary session. 
Therein the governor shall also limit the time such session may con- 
tinue; provided^ it shall not exceed twenty days. Any legislative ac- 
tion had after the time so limited, or as to other objects than those 
enumerated in said proclamation, shall be null and void. 

Art. 73. Every bill which shall have passed both houses shall be 
presented to the governor. If he approve, he shall sign it; if not, he 
shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it originated, 
which house shall enter the objections at large upon the journal and 
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds 
of all the members elected to that house shall agree to pass the bill, 
it shall be sent, with the objections, to the other house, by which 
likewise it shall be reconsidered, and if passed by two-thirds of the 
members elected to that house it shall be a law; but in such cases the 
votes of both houses shall be taken by yeas and nays, and the names 
of the members voting for and against the bill shall be entered on 
the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be re- 
turned by the governor within five days after it shall have been pre- 
sented to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he had 



CONSTITUTION. 273 

signed it, unless the general assembly, by adjournment, shall prevent 
its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

Art. 74. The governor shall have power to disapprove of any item 
or items of any bill making appropriations of money, embracing dis- 
tinct items; and the part or parts of the bill approved shall be law, 
and the item or items of appropriation disapproved shall be void, 
unless repassed according to the rules and limitations prescribed for 
the passage of other bills over the executive veto. 

Art. 75. Every order, resolution or vote to which the concurrence 
of both houses may be necessary, except on a question of adjourn- 
ment or on matters of parliamentary proceedings, or an address 
for the removal from office, shall be presented to the governor, and 
before it shall take effect be approved by him, or, being disap- 
proved, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the members elected to 
each house. 

Art. 76. The treasurer, auditor, attorney-general and secretary of 
State shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State for the 
term of four years; and in case of vacancy caused by death, resig- 
nation or permanent absence of either of said officers, the governor 
shall fill such vacancy by appointment, with the advice and consent 
of the senate; provided, however, that notwithstanding such appoint- 
ment, such vacancy shall be filled by election at the next election 
after the occurrence of the vacancy. 

Art. 77. The auditor of public accounts shall receive a salary of 
two thousand five hundred dollars per annum; the treasurer shall re- 
ceive a salary of two thousand dollars per annum, and the secretary 
of State shall receive a salary of one thousand eight hundred dollars 
per annum. Each of the before named officers shall be paid monthly , 
and no fees or perquisites or other compensation shall be allowed to 
said officers; provided, that the secretary of State may be allowed 
fees as may be provided by law for copies and certificates furnished 
to private persons. 

Art. 78. Appropriations for the clerical expenses of the officers 
named in the preceding article shall specify each item of such appro- 
priations; and shall not exceed in any one year, for the treasurer, 
the sum of two thousand dollars; tor the secretary of State, the sum 
of one thousand five hundred dollars, and for the auditor of public 
accounts, the sum of four thousand dollars. 

Art. 79. All commissions shall be in the name and by the author- 
ity of the State of Louisiana, and shall be sealed with the State seal; 
signed by the governor and countersigned by the secretary of State. 

JUDICIARY DEPARTMENT. 

Art. So. The judicial power shall be vested in a supreme court, in 
courts of appeal, in district courts and in justices of the peace. 

Art. 81. The supreme court, except in cases hereinafter provided, 
shall have appellate jurisdiction only, which jurisdiction shall ex- 
tend to all cases when the matter in dispute or the fund to be distrib- 
uted, whatever may be the amount therein claimed, shall exceed two 
thousand dollars, exclusive of interest; to suits for divorce and sep- 
aration from bed and board; to suits for nullity of marriage; to suits 



274 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

involving the rights to homesteads; to suits for interdiction,* 
and to all cases in which the constitutionality or legality of any 
tax, toll or impost whatever, or of any fine, forfeiture or penalty 
imposed by municipal corporation, shall be in contestation, what- 
ever may be the amount thereof; and in such cases the appeal on 
the law and facts shall be directly from the court in which the case 
originated to the supreme court; and to criminal cases on ques- 
tions of law alone, whenever the punishment of death or imprison- 
ment at hard labor may be inflicted, or a fine exceeding three hundred 
dollars is actually imposed. D. sec. 1913. 

Art. 82. The supreme court shall be composed of one chief-jus- 
tice and four associate justices, a majority of whom shall constitute 
a quorum. The chief-justice and associate justices shall each re- 
ceive a salary of five thousand dollars per annum, payable monthly on 
their own warrants. They shall be appointed by the governor, by and 
with the advice and consent of the senate. The first supreme court 
to be organized under this constitution shall be appointed as follows: 
The chief-justice for the term of twelve years; one associate justice for 
the term of ten years; one for the term of eight years; one for the 
term of six years; one for the term of four years; and the governor 
shall designate in the commission of each the term for which such 
judge is appointed. In case of death, resignation or removal from 
office of any of said judges the vacancy shall be filled by appoint- 
ment for the unexpired term of said judge; and upon expiration of 
the term of any of said judges the office shall be filled by appoint- 
ment for a term of twelve years. They shall be citizens of the United 
States and of the State, over thirty-five years of age, learned in the 
law, and shall have practised law in this State ten years preceding 
their appointment. 

Art. 83. The State shall be divided into four supreme court dis- 
tricts, and the supreme court shall always be composed of judges ap- 
pointed from said districts. The parishes of Orleans, St. John the 
Baptist, St. Charles, St. Bernard, Plaqviemines and Jefferson shall 
compose the first district, from which two judges shall be appointed. 
The parishes of Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, Claiborne, Union, 
Lincoln, Jackson, Caldwell, Ouachita, Morehouse, Richland, Frank- 
lin, West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison, Tensas and Catahoula shall 
compose the second district, from which one judge shall be appoint- 
ed. The parishes of De Soto, Red River, Winn, Grant, Natchi- 
toches, Sabine, Vernon, Calcasieu, Cameron, Rapides, Avoyelles, 
Concordia, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, St. Landry, 
Lafayette and Vermillion shall compose the third district, from which 
one judge shall be appointed. And the parishes of St. Martin, 
Iberia, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. James, 
Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, St. 
Helena, Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Washington 
shall compose the fourth district, from which one judge shall be ap- 
pointed. 

Art. 84. The supreme court shall hold its sessions in the city of 
New Orleans from the first Monday in the month of November to the 

*As Amended in 1882. 



CONSTITUTION. 275 

end ot the month of May in each and every year. The general assem- 
bly shall have power to fix the sessions elsewhere during the rest of 
the year. Until otherwise provided the sessions shall be held as here- 
tofore. They shall appoint their own clerks and remove them at 
pleasure. D. 1894. 

Art. 85. No judgment shall be rendered by the supreme court 
without the concurrence of three judges. Whenever three members 
can not concur, in consequence of the recusation of any member or 
members of the court, the judges not recused shall have authority to 
call upon an}' judge or judges of the district courts, whose duty it 
shall be, when so called upon, to sit in the place of the judge or 
judges recused, and to aid in the determination of_the case. 

Art. 86. All judges, by virtue of their office, shall be conservators 
of the peace throughout the State. The style of all process shall be 
''the State of Louisiana." All prosecutions shall be carried on in 
the name and by the authority of the State of Louisiana, and con- 
clude, " against the peace and dignity of the same." 

Art. 87. The judges of all covirts, whenever practicable, shall re- 
fer to the law by virtue of which every definitive judgment is ren- 
dered; but in all cases they shall adduce the reasons on which their 
judgment is founded. 

Art. 88. There shall be a reporter of the decisions of the supreme 
court, who shall report in full all cases which he may be required to 
report by law or by the court. He shall publish in the reports the 
title, numbers and head notes of all cases decided, whether reported 
in full or not. In all cases reported in full he shall make a brief 
statement of the principal points presented ani authorities cited by 
counsel. He shall be appointed by a majority of the court, and hold 
his office and be removable at their pleasure. His salary shall be 
fixed by the court, and shall not exceed fifteen hundred dollars per 
annum, payable monthly on his own warrant. D. sec. 3221, 3229. 

Art. 89. The supreme court and each of the judges thereof shall 
have power to issue writs of habeas corpus at the instance of all per- 
sons in actual custody, in cases where it may have appellate jurisdic- 
tion. C. P., art. 792. 

Art. 90. The supreme court shall have control and general super- 
vision over all inferior courts. They shall have power to issue writs 
ot certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo xvarranto and other remedial 
writs. 

Art. 91. The general assembly shall provide for appeals from the 
district courts to the supreme court upon questions of law alone, 
when the party or parties aggrieved desire only a review of the 
law. 

Art. 92. Except as herein provided no duties or functions shall ever 
be attached by law to the supreme court, courts of appeal or district 
courts, or the several judges thereof, but such as are judicial; and the 
said judges are prohibited from receiving any fees of office or other 
compensation than their salaries for any official duties performed by 
them. No judicial powers, except as committing magistrates in crim- 
inal cases, shall be conferred on any officers other than those men- 
tioned in this title, except such as may be necessary in towns and 
cities ; and the judicial powers of such officers shall not extend further 



276 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

than the cognizance of cases arising under the police regulations of 
towns and cities in the State. 

Art. 93. The judges of all courts shall be liable to impeachment 
for crimes and misdemeanors. For any reasonable cause the governor 
shall remove any of them on the address of two-thirds of the mem- 
bers elected to each house of the general assembly. In ever j case the 
cause or causes for which such removal may be required shall be 
stated at length in the address, and inserted in the journal of each 
house. 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 

Art. 94. There shall be an attorney-general for the State, who shall 
be elected by the qualified electors of the State at large every four 
years. He shall be learned in the law, and shall have actually resided 
and practised law as a licensed attorney in the State five years next 
preceding his election. He shall receive a salary of three thousand 
dollars per annum, payable monthly on his own warrant. 

COURTS OF APPEAL. 

Art. 95.* The courts of appeal, except in cases hereinafter pro- 
vided, shall have appellate jurisdiction only, which jurisdiction shall 
extend to all cases, civil or probate, when the matter in dispvite or the 
funds to be distributed shall exceed one hundred dollars, exclusive of 
interest, and shall not exceed two thousand dollars, exclusive of inter- 
est. 

Art. 96. The courts of appeal shall be composed of two circuit 
judges, who shall be elected by the two houses of the general assem- 
bly in joint session. The first judges of the courts of appeal under 
this constitution shall be elected for the following terms: One judge 
for each court for the term of four years and one judge for the term 
of eight years. They shall be learned in the law, and shall have 
resided and practised law in this State for six years, and shall have 
been actual residents of the circuit from which they shall be elected 
for at least two years next preceding their election. 

Art. 97. The State, with the exception of the parish of Orleans, 
shall be divided into five circuits, from each of which two judges shall 
be elected. Until otherwise provided by law the parishes of Caddo, 
Bossier, Webster, Bienville, DeSoto, Red River, Claiborne, Union, 
Lincoln, Natchitoches, Sabine, Jackson, Winn and Caldwell shall 
compose the first circuit. 

The parishes of Ouachita, Richland, Morehouse, West Carroll, 
Catahoula, Franklin, Madison, East Carroll, Concordia and Tensas 
shall compose the second circuit. 

The parishes of Rapides, Grant, Avoyelles, St. Landry, Vernon, 
Calcasieu, Cameron, Lafayette,Vermillion, St. Martin and Iberia shall 
compose the third circuit. 

The parishes of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, 
East Feliciana, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Livingston, St. Tammany, 

* As amended in 1882. 



CONSTITUTION. 277 



Washington, Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana shall compose the 
fourth circuit. 

And the parishes of St. Mary, Terrebonne, Ascension, Lafourche, 
Assumption, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. 
John the Baptist and St. James shall compose the fifth circuit. 

Art. 98. The judges of the courts of appeal, until otherwise pro- 
vided by law, shall hold two terms annually in each parish composing 
their respective circuits. 

Art. 99. Until otherwise provided by law the terms of the circuit 
courts of appeal shall be as follows: 

First Circuit. 

Caddo — First Mondays in January and June. 
Bossier — Third Mondays in January and June. 
Webster — First Mondays in February and July. 
Bienville — Second Mondays in February and July. 
Claiborne — Third Mondays in February and July. 
Union — First Mondays in March and October. 
Lincoln — Second Mondays in March and October. 
Jackson — Third Mondays in March and October. 
Caldwell — Fourth Mondays in March and October. 
Winn — First Mondays in April and November. 
Natchitoches — Second Mondays in April and November. 
Sabine — Fourth Mondays in April and November. 
De Soto — First Mondays in May and December. 
Red River — Third Mondays in May and December. 

Second Circuit. 

Ouachita — First Mondays in January and June. 
Richland — Fourth Mondays in Janviary and June. 
Franklin — First Mondays in February and July. 
Catahoula - Second Mondays in February and July. 
Concordia — Fourth Mondays in February and July. 
Tensas — Second Mondays in March and October. 
Madison — Fourth Mondays in March and October. 
East Carroll — Second Mondays in April and November. 
West Carroll — Fourth Mondays in April and November. 
Morehouse — First Mondays in May and December. 

Third Circuit. 

St. Landry — First Mondays in January and June. 
Avoyelles — Fourth Mondays in January and June. 
Rapides — Second Mondays in February and July. 
Grant — Fourth Mondays in February and July. 
Vernon — First Mondays in March and October. 
Calcasieu — Second Mondays in March and October. 
Cameron — Fourth Mondays in March and October. 
Vermillion — First Mondays in April and November. 
Lafayette — Second Mondays in April and November. 



278 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Iberia — Fourth Mondays in April and November. 
St. Martin — Second Mondays in May and December. 

Fourih Circuit. 

East Baton Rouge — First Mondays in January and June. 
West Baton Rouge — Fourth Mondays in January and June. 
Livingston — First Mondays in February and July. 
Tangipahoa — Second Mondays in February and July. 
St. Tammany — Fourth Mondays in February and July. 
Washington — First Mondays in March and October. 
St. Helena — Second Mondays in March and October. 
East Feliciana — Fourth Mondays in March and October. 
West Feliciana — Second Mondays in April and November. 
Pointe Coupee— Fourth Mondays in April and November. 
Iberville — Second Mondays in May and December. 

Fifth Circuit. 

St. Mary — First Mondays in January and June. 

Terrebonne — Third Mondays in January and June. 

Assumption — First Mondays in February and July. 

Lafourche — Third Mondays in February and July. 

St. Charles — First Mondays in March and October. 

Jefferson— Second Mondays in March and October. 

St. Bernard — Fourth Mondays in March and October. 

Plaquemines— First Mondays in April and November. 

St. John the Baptist — Second Mondays in April and November. 

St. James — Third Mondays in April and November. 

Ascension — Second Mondays in May and December. 

Art. ICO. Whenever the first day of the term shall fall on a legal 
holiday the court shall begin its sessions on the first legal day there- 
after. 

Art. ioi.* Whenever the judges composing the courts of appeal 
shall concur their judgment shall be final. Whenever there shall 
be a disagreement the two judges shall appoint a lawyer having the 
qualifications for a judge of the court of appeals of their circuit, who 
shall aid in the determination of the case; a judgment concurred 
in by any two of them shall be final. 

Art. I02. All causes on appeal to the courts of appeal shall be tried 
on the original record, pleadings and evidence in the district court. 

Art. 103. The rules of practice regulating appeals to and proceed- 
ings in the supreme court shall apply to appeals and proceedings in 
the courts of appeal, so far as they may be applicable, until otherwise 
provided by law. 

Art. 104. The judges of the courts of appeal shall have power to 
issue writs of habeas corpus at the instance of all persons in actual 
custody, within their respective circuits. They shall also have 
authority to issue writs of mandamus, prohibition and certiorari^ in 
aid of their appellate jurisdiction. 

* As amended in 1882. 



CONSTITUTION. 279 

Art. 105. The judges of the courts ot appeal shall each receive a 
salary of four thousand dollars per annum, pajablj monthly on their 
respective warrants. The general assembly shall provide by law for 
the trial of recused cases in the courts of appeal. D. sec. 3 190-3 195. 

Art. 106. The sheriff of the parish in which the sessions of the 
court are held shall attend in person or by deputy to execute the 
orders of the court. 

District Court. 

Art. 107. The State shall be divided into not less than twenty nor 
more than thirty judicial districts, the parish of Orleans excepted. 
D. sec. 1927. 

Art. 108. Until otherwise provided by law there shall be twenty- 
six districts. 

The parish of Caddo shall compose the first district. 

The parishes of Bossier, Webster and Bienville shall compose the 
second district. 

The parishes of Claiborne, Union and Lincoln shall compose the 
third district. 

The parishes of Jackson, Winn and Caldwell shall compose the 
fourth district. 

The parishes of Ouachita and Richland shall compose the fifth 
district. 

The parishes of Morehouse and West Carroll shall compose the 
sixth district. 

The parishes of Catahoula and Franklin shall compose the seventh 
district. 

The parishes of Madison and East Carroll shall compose the eighth 
district. 

The parishes of Concordia and Tensas shall compose the ninth dis- 
trict. 

The parishes of DeSoto and Red River shall compose the tenth 
district. 

The parishes of Natchitoches and Sabine shall compose the eleventh 
district. 

The parishes of Rapides, Grant and Avoyelles shall compose the 
twelfth district. 

The parish of St. Landry shall compose the thirteenth district. 

The parishes of Vernon, Calcasieu and Cameron shall compose the 
fourteenth district. 

The parishes of Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana shall compose 
the fifteenth district. 

The parishes of East Feliciana and St. Helena shall compose the 
sixteenth district. 

The parish of East Baton Rouge shall compose the seventeenth 
district. 

The parishes of Tangipahoa, Livingston, St. Tammany and Wash- 
ington shall compose the eighteenth district. 

The parishes of St. Mary and Terrebonne shall compose the nine- 
teenth district. 



280 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

The parishes of Lafourche and Assumption shall compose the 
twentieth district. 

The parishes of St. Martin and Iberia shall compose the twenty- 
first district. 

The parishes of Ascension and St. James shall compose the twenty- 
second district. 

The parishes of West Baton Rouge and Iberville shall compose the 
twenty-third district. 

The parishes of Plaquemines and St. Bernard shall compose the 
twenty-fourth district. 

The parishes of Lafayette and Vermillion shall compose the 
twenty-fifth district. 

And the parishes of Jefferson, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist 
shall compose the twenty- sixth district. 

Art. 109. District courts shall have original jurisdiction in all civil 
matters where the amount in dispute shall exceed fifty dollars, exclu- 
sive of interest. They shall have unlimited original jurisdiction in all 
criminal, probate and succession matters, and when a succession is a 
party defendant. The district judges shall be elected by a plurality 
of the qualified voters of their respective districts in which they shall 
have been actual residents for two years next preceding their election. 
They shall be learned in the law, and shall have practised law in the 
State for five years previous to their election. They shall be elected for 
the term of four years. All elections to fill vacancies occasioned by 
death, resignation or removal shall be for the unexpired term, and 
the governor shall fill the vacancy until an election can be held. The 
judges of the district courts shall each receive a salary of three thou- 
sand dollars per annum, payable monthly on their respective warrants. 
D. sec. 1930. 

Art. 1 10. The general assembly shall have power to increase the 
number of district judges in any district whenever the public 
business may require. 

Art. III. The district courts shall have jurisdiction of appeals 
from justices of the peace in all matters where the amount in contro- 
versy shall exceed ten dollars, exclusive of interest. D. sec. 2047. 

Art. 112. The general assembly shall provide by law for the trial of 
recused cases in the district courts by the selection of licensed at- 
torney-at-laws, by an interchange of judges or otherwise. D. 3190- 
3195- 

Art. 113. Wherever in this constitution the qualification of any 
justice or judge shall be the previous practice of the law for a term of 
years, there shall be included in such term the time such justice or 
judge shall have occupied the bench of any court of record in this 
State; provided^ he shall have been a licensed attorney for five years 
before his election or appointment. 

Art. 114. No judge of any court of the State shall be affected in 
his term of office, salary or jurisdiction as to territory or amount 
during the term or period for which he was elected or appointed. 
Any legislation so affecting any judge or court shall take effect only 
at the end of the term of office of the judges, incumbents of the court 
or courts to which such legislation may apply at the time of its enact- 



CONSTITUTION. 281 

ment. This article shall not affect the provisions of this constitution 
relative to impeachment or removal from office. 

Art. 115. The district judges shall have power to issue writs of 
habeas corpus at the instance of all persons in actual custodj- in their 
respective districts. C. P., art. 791. 

Art. 116. The general assembly at its first session under this con- 
stitution shall provide by general law for the selection of competent 
and intelligent jurors, who shall have capacity to serve as grand 
jurors and try and determine both civil and criminal cases, and may 
provide in civil cases that a verdict be rendered by the concurrence of 
a less number than the whole. C. P., art. 493; D. sec. 2125, 2154; 
Act iSSo, No. 54. 

Art. 117.* In those districts composed of one parish there 
shall not be less than six terms of the district court each year. In 
all other districts there shall be in each parish not less than four 
terms of the district court each year, except in the parishes of Cam- 
eron, Franklin and Vernon, in which there shall not be less than 
two terms of the district court each year. Until provided by law the 
terms of the district court in each parish shall be fixed by a rule of 
said court, which shall not be changed without notice by publication 
at least thirty days prior to such change. There shall be in each 
parish not less than two jury terms each year, at which a grand jury 
shall be empaneled, except in the parishes of Cameron, Franklin and 
Vernon, in which there shall not be less than one jury term each year, 
at which a grand jury shall be empaneled. At other than jury terms 
the general as^^embly shall provide ror special juries when necessary 
for the trial of criminal casts. D. sec. 1928. 

SHERIFFS AND CORONERS. 

Art. 118. There shall be a sheriff and coroner elected by the 
qualified voters of each parish in the State, except the parish of 
Orleans, who shall be elected at the general election and hold office 
for four years. (D 652, 676, 353S, 3539, 3238.) The coroner shall act 
for and in place of the sheriff whenever the sheriff shall be party 
interested, and whenever there shall be a vacancy in the office of 
sheriff until such vacancy shall be filled; but he shall not, during such 
vacancy, discharge the duties of tax collector. (C. P., art. 760; D. 
676.) The sheriff, except in the parish of Orleans, shall be ex officio 
collector of State and parish taxes. He shall give separate bonds for 
the faithful performance of his duty in each capacity. Until other- 
wise provided the bonds shall be given according to existing laws. 
The general assembly, after the adoption of this constitution, shall 
pass a general law regulating the amount, form, condition and mode 
of approval of such bonds, so as to fully secure the State and parish; 
and all parties in interest. Sheriffs elected at the first election 
under this constitution shall comply with the provisions of such law 
within thirty days after its promulgation, in default of which the 
office shall be declared vacant and the governor shall appoint for the 
remainder of the term. 



*Art. 117. As amended in 1886. 



282 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA 

Art. ]I9. Sheriffs shall receive compensation from the parish for 
their services in criminal matters (the keeping of prisoners, convey- 
ing convicts to the penitentiary, insane persons to the ins-ane asylum 
and service of process from another parish, and service of process or 
the performance of any duty beyond the limits of his own parish, 
excepted) not to exceed five hundred dollars per annum for each 
representative the parish may have in the house of representatives. 
(D. 3563, 3567.) The compensation of sheriffs as tax-collectors shall 
not exceed tive per cent, on the amount collected and paid over; pro- 
vided^ that he shall not be discharged as tax-collector until he makes 
proof that he has exhausted the legal remedies to collect the taxes. 

Art 120. The coroner in each parish shall be a doctor of medi- 
cine, regularly licensed to practise, and ex officio parish physician; 
provided^ this article shall not apply to any parish in which there is 
no regularly licensed physician who will accept the office. D.650. 



Art. 121. There shall be a clerk of the district court in each par- 
ish, the parish of Orleans excepted, who shall be ex officio clerk of the 
court of appeals. (D. 462, 484.) He shall be elected by the qualified 
electors of the parish every four years, and shall be ex officio parish 
recorder of conveyances, mortgages and other acts, and notary pub- 
lic. He shall receive no compensation for his services from the 
State or the parish in criminal matters. He shall give bond and 
security for the faithful performance of his duties, in such amount as 
shall be fixed by the general assembly. 

Art. 122. The general assembly shall have power to vest in clerks 
of courts authority to grant such orders, and to do such acts as may 
be deemed necessary for the furtherance of the administration of jus 
tice; and in all cases powers thus vested shall be specified and deter- 
mined. 

Art. 123. Clerks of district courts may appoint, with the approval 
of the district judge, deputies, with such powers as shall be prescribed 
by law; and the general assembly shall have the power to provide for 
continuing one or more of them in office, in the event of the death of 
the clerk, until his successor shall have been appointed and duly quali- 
fied. 

district attorneys. 

Art. 124. There shall be a district attorney for each judicial district 
in the State, who shall be elected by the qualified electors of the judi- 
cial district. He shall receive a salary of one ihousand dollars per 
a:mum, payable monthly on his own warrant, and shall hold his office 
for four years. He shall be an actual resident of the district and a 
licensed attorney-at-law in this State (D. 1140). He shall also receive 
fees; but no fees shall be allowed in criminal cases except on convic- 
tion. Any vacancy in the office of district attorney shall be filled by 
appointment by the governor for the unexpired term. There shall be 
no parish attorney or district attorney pro tempore. (This article 
shall not apply to the parish of Orleans.) D. 1142, 1178, 1189. 



CONSTITUTION. 283 



JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 

Art. 125. In each parish, the parish of Orleans excepted, there 
shall be as many justices of the peace as may be provided by law (D. 
2044, 2045). The present number of justices of the peace shall remain 
as now fixed until otherwise provided. They shall be elected for the 
term of four years by the qualified voters within the territorial limits 
of their jurisdiction. They shall have exclusive original jurisdiction 
in all civil matters when the amount in dispute shall not exceed fifty 
dollars, exclusive of interest, and original jurisdiction, concurrent 
with the district court, when the amount in dispute shall exceed fifty 
dollars, exclusive of intere-t, and shall not exceed one hundred dol- 
lars, exclusive of interest (D. 2047). They shall have no jurisdiction 
in succession or probate matters, or when a succession is a defendant. 
They shall receive such fees or salary as may be fixed by law. 

Art. 126. They shall have criminal jurisdiction as committing 
magistrates, and shall have power to bail or discharge in cases not 
capital or necessarily punishable at hard labor. D. 2058, 2059. 

CONSTABLES. 

Art. 127. There shall be a constable for the court of each justice 
of the peace in the several parishes of the State, the parish of Orleans 
excepted, who shall be elected for the term of four years by the qual- 
ified voters within the territorial limits of the jurisdiction of the sev- 
eral justices of the peace (D. 631). The compensation, salaries or 
fees of constables and the amount of their bonds shall be fixed by the 
general assembly. 

COURTS OF the PARISH AND CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. 

Art. 128.* There shall be in the parish of Orleans a court of ap- 
peals for said parish, with exclusive appellate jurisdiction in all mat- 
ters, civil or probate, arising in said parish, when the amount in 
dispute or fund to be distributed exceeds one hundred dollars, interest 
excluded, and is less than two thousand dollars, exclusive of interest. 
Said court shall be presided over by two judges, who shall be elected 
by the general assembly in joint session. They shall be residents and 
voteis of the city of New Orleans, possessing all the qualifications 
necessary for judges of circuit courts of appeal throughout the Stale. 
They shall each receive an annual salary of four thousand dollars, pay- 
able monthly upon their respective warrants. Said appeals shall be 
upon questions of law alone in all cases involving less than five hundred 
dollars, exclusive of int-rest, and upon the law and the facts in other 
cases. It shall sit in the city of New Orleans from the first Monday 
of November to the last Monday of June of each year. It shall have 
authority to issue writs of mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and 
habeas corpus in aid of its appellate jurisdiction. 

Art. 129. The provisions of this constitution relating to the term 
of office, qualifications and salary of the judges of the circuit courts 

*As amended in 1S82. 



284 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

of appeal ihroughont the State, and the manner of proceeding and 
determining causes, as applicable to such circuit courts of appeal, 
shall apply to this court and its judges, in so far as such provisions 
are not in conflict with the provisions specially relating to said court 
and its judges. Said court of appeals shall have jurisdiction of all 
causes now pending on appeal from the parish of Orleans before the 
supreme court of the State where the amount in dispute or fund to be 
distributed is less than one thousand dollars, exclusive of interest; 
and the supreme court shall at once transfer said causes to the court 
of appeals. 

Art. 130.* For the parish of Orleans there shall be two district 
courts and no more. One of said courts shall be known as the civil 
district court of the parish of Orleans, and the other as the criminal 
district court for the parish of Orleans. The former shall consist of 
not less than five judges and the latter of not less than two judges, 
having the qualifications prescribed for district judges throughout 
the State. The said judges shall be appointed by the governor, by 
and with the advice and consent of the senate, for the term of eight 
years. The first appointments shall be made as follows: Three 
judges of the civil district court for four years and two for eight years; 
one judge of the criminal district court for four years and one for 
eight years — the terms to be designated in their commissions. The 
said judges shall receive each four thousand dollars per annum. Said 
civil district court shall have exclusive and general probate and ex- 
clusive civil jurisdiction in all causes where the amount in dispute or 
to be distributed exceeds one hundred dollars, exclusive of interest, 
and exclusive appellate jurisdiction from the city courts of the parish 
of Orleans when the amount in dispute exceeds twenty-five dollars, 
exclusive of interest. All causes filed in said court shall be equally 
allotted and assigned among said judges in accordance with rules of 
court to be adopted for that purpose. In case of recusation of any 
judge in any cause such cause shall be reassigned; or in case of ab- 
sence from the parish, sickness or other disability of the judge to 
whom any cause may have been assigned, any judge of said court 
may issue or grant conservatory writs or orders. In other respects 
each judge shall have exclusive control over every cause assigned to 
him from its inception to its final determination in said court. The 
criminal district court shall have criminal jurisdiction only. All 
prosecutions instituted in said court shall be equally apportioned 
between said judges by lot. Each judge or his successor shall have 
exclusive control over every cause falling to him from its inception 
to final determination in said court. In case of vacancy or recusa- 
tion, causes assigned shall be reassigned under order of court. 

Art. 131. The general assembly may increase the number of judges 
of the civil district court, not, however, to exceed nine judges, and 
the number of the criminal judges not to exceed three. 

Art. 132. The court of appeals and the civil and criminal district 
courts for the parish of Orleans shall respectively regulate the order 
of preference and trial of causes pending, and adopt other rules to 

As amended in 1882. 



CONSTITUTION. 285 

govern the proceedings therein, not in conflict with the provisions of 
law. 

Art. 133. The civil district court for the parish of Orleans shall se- 
lect a solvent incorporated bank of the city of New Orleans as a judi- 
cial depository. Therein shall be deposited all moneys, notes, bonds 
and securities (except such notes or documents as may be filed with 
suits or in evidence, which shall be kept by the clerk of the court), 
so soon as the same shall come into the hands of any sheriff or clerk 
of court; such deposits shall be removable in whole or in part only 
upon order of court. The ofiicer making such deposits shall make 
immediate and written return to the court of the date and particulars 
thereof, to be filed in the cause in which the matter is pending, under 
penalties to be prescribed by law. Act 1880, No. 33. 

Art. 134. There shall be a district attorney for the parish of Or- 
leans, who shall possess the same qualifications and be elected in the 
same manner and for the same period of time as the district attorneys 
for other parishes, as provided by this constitution. (D. 1140). He 
shall receive a salary of one thousand dollars per annum and such 
fees as may be allowed bj'law; but no fee shall be allowed in crimi- 
nal cases except on conviction. (D. 1145, 1146.) He may appoint an 
assistant at a salary not to exceed fifteen hundred dollars per annum. 

Art. 135.* There shall be in the city of New Orleans four city 
courts, one of which shall be located in that portion of the city on 
the right bank of the Mississippi river, presided over by judges hav- 
ing all the qualifications required for a district judge, and shall be 
elected by the qualified voters for the term of four years. They shall 
have exclusive jurisdiction over all sums not exceeding one hundred 
dollars, exclusive of interest, subject to an appeal to the civil district 
court when the amount claimed exceeds twenty-five dollars, exclusive 
of interest. The general assembly shall regulate the salaries, territorial 
division of jurisdiction, the manner of executing their process, the 
fee bill and proceedings which shall govern them. They shall have 
authority to execute commissions, take testimony and receive there- 
for such fees as may be allowed by law. (D. 2070- 2 loi ; Act 1880, No. 
45, 67.) The general assembly may increase the number of city 
courts for said parish not to exceed eight in all. Until otherwise pro- 
vided by law each of the said courts shall have one clerk, to be elected 
for the term of four years by the qualified voters of the parish, who 
shall receive a salary of twelve hundred dollars per annum and no 
more, and whose qualifications, bond and duties shall be regulated 
by law. 

Art. 136. The general assembly may provide for police or magis- 
trates' courts; but such courts shall not be vested with jurisdiction 
beyond the enforcement of municipal ordinances or as committing 
magistrates. 

Art. 137. There shall be one clerk for the civil district court and 
one for the criminal district court of the parish of Orleans. The 
former shall be ex officio clerk of the court of appeals of said parish. 
Said clerk shall be removable in the manner provided for the removal 
of the sheriffs of said parish. The clerk of said civil district court 

*As amended in 1882. 



286 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

shall receive an annual salary of three thousand six hundred dollars 
and no more; and the clerk of the criminal court an annual salary of 
three thousand dollars and no more; both payable quarterly on their 
warrants. They shall be elected by the qualified voters of the parish 
for a term of four years. (D. 507.) The amount and character of the 
bonds, and qualification of the sureties to be furnished by said clerks 
shall be prescribed by law. D. 462. 

Art. 138. The court of appeals and each judge of the civil and 
criminal district courts of the parish of Orleans shall appoint a min- 
ute clerk, at an annual salary of not more than eighteen hundred 
dollars, whose duties shall be regulated by law. Each clerk of court 
shall appoint, by and with the consent of the district court of which 
he is clerk, such deputies as may be necessary to perform efiiciently 
the duties of said oflfice, at salaries to be fixed by law. He shall be 
responsible for said deputies, and may require from each such security 
as he may deem suflicient to secure himself; and said deputies shall 
be removable at his pleasure. 

Art. 139. There shall be a civil and a criminal sheriff for the parish 
of Orleans. The civil sheriff shall be the executive officer of all the civil 
courts, except city courts, and the criminal sheriff shall be the execu- 
tive officer of the criminal district court. (D. 3537 et seq.') They 
shall attend the sittings, and execute the writs and mandates of their 
respective courts. They shall be elected by the voters of the parish 
of Orleans every four years. They shall be citizens of the State, 
residents and voters of the city of New Orleans, at least twenty-five 
years of age, and shall be removable, each by the district court of 
which he is the executive officer, upon proof after trial, without jury, 
of gross or continued neglect, incompetency, or unlawful conduct, 
operating injury to the court or any individual. The two district 
courts for the parish of Orleans shall immediately, upon organization 
under this constitution, in joint session, adopt rules governing the 
lodging of complaints against and trial of such officers; and such 
rules, once adopted, shall not be changed, except by the unanimous 
consent of all the judges composing the said courts. D. 3537. 

Art. 140. The civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans shall receive 
such fees as the general assembly may fix. He shall render monthly 
accounts, giving amounts and dates, number and title of causes, 
wherein received or paid out, of all sums collected and disbursed by 
him, which shall be filed in the civil district court of said parish and 
form a part of its public records. He shall be responsible to the State 
for all profits of said office over ten thousand dollars per annum, and 
shall settle with the State at least once a year in such manner as the 
general assembly may provide. The criminal sheriff shall receive an 
annual salary of thirty six hundred dollars and no more. He shall 
receive no other compensation. He shajl charge and collect for the 
State, from parties convicted, such fees and charges as may be fixed 
by law and shall render monthly accounts of the same. 

Art. 141. Said sheriffs shall appoint, each with the consent and 
approval of the district court which he serves, such a number of 
deputies as the said court may find necessary for the proper expedi- 
tion of the public business, at such salaries as may be fixed by law. 
Each sheriff shall be responsible for his deputies, may remove them 



CONSTITUTION. 287 

at pleasure and fill vacancies with the approval of the court, and may 
exact from all deputies security in such manner and amount as such 
sheriff may deem necessary. D. 3542. 

Art. 142. The civil sheriff for the said parish shall execute a 
bond, with sureties, residents of said parish, conditioned for the law- 
ful and faithful performance of the duties of his office, in the sum of 
fifty thousand dollars. The sureties shall be examined in open court 
by the judges of the civil district court for the parish of Orleans, and 
the questions and answers shall be reduced to writing, and form a 
portion of the records of said court. (D. 3538.) A similar bond 
shall be executed by the criminal sheriff of said parish in the sum of 
ten thousand dollars, with sureties to be examined and approved as 
to solvency by the criminal district court ot said parish, as herein 
directed for the civil district court of said parish in the case of the 
civil sheriff. 

Art. 143. There shall be one constable for each city court of the 
parish of Orleans, who shall be the executive officer of such court. 
He shall be elected by the qualified voters of the parish of Orleans for 
the term of four years. The general assembly shall define his quali- 
fications and fix his compensation and duties, and shall assimilate the 
same so far as practicable to the provisions of this constitution relat- 
ing to the civil sheriff of said parish. The judges of the city courts 
shall sit in biDic to examine such bonds, try and remove constables, 
and adopt rules regulating such trial and removal. They shall in 
such proceedings be governed so far as practicable by the provisions 
of this constitution regulating the proceedings of the district courts 
of the parish of Orleans in the case of the sheriffs of said parish. 
D. 642. 

Art. 144. There shall be a register of conveyances and a recorder 
of mortgages for the parish of Orleans, who shall be elected by the 
qualified voters of said parish every four years. The register of con- 
veyances shall receive an annual salary of twenty-five hundred dollars 
and no more, and said recorder of mortgages an annual salary of four 
thousand dollars and no more. The general assembly shall regulate 
the qualifications and duties of said officers, and the number of em- 
ployes they shall appoint and fix the salaries of such employes, not to 
exceed eighteen hundred dollars for each. D. 3152, 3171. 

Art. 145. The general assembly, at its first session after the adop- 
tion of this constitution shall enact a fee bill for the clerks of the 
various courts, including the city courts sitting in New Orleans, and 
for the civil and criminal sheriffs, constables, register of conveyances 
and recorder of mortgages of said parish. In the same act provision 
shall be made for a system of stamps or stamped paper for the collec- 
tion by the State, not by said officers, of such fees and charges, so far 
as clerks of courts, register of conveyances and recorder of mortgages 
are concerned. D. 77S, 3163, 3172. 

Art, 146.* All fees and charges fixed by law for the various 
courts of the parish of Orleans, and for the register of convey- 
ances and recorder of mortgages ot said parish shall enure to 
the State; and all sums realized therefrom shall be set aside and held, 

* As amended in 1882. 



288 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

as a special fund, out of which shall be paid by preference the ex- 
penses of the clerk of the civil district court, the clerk of the city 
courts, the registrar of conveyances, and the recorder of inortgages 
of the parish of Orleans; provided, that the State shall never 
make any payment to any sheriff, clerk, register of conveyances or 
recorder of mortgages of the parisla of Orleans, or any of their depu- 
ties, for salary or other expenses of their respective offices, except 
from the special fund provided for by this article; and any appropria- 
tion made contrary to this provision shall be null and void. 

Art. 147. There shall be one coroner for the parish of Orleans, 
who shall be elected every four years by the qualified electors of said 
parish, and whose duties shall be regulated by law. He shall be ex 
officio city physician of the city of New Orleans, and receive an 
annual salary of five thousand dollars, and no more. He shall be a 
practising physician of said city, and a graduate of the medical 
department of some university of respectable standing. He may 
appoint an assistant, having the same qualifications as himself, at an 
annual salary not exceeding three thousand dollars. The salaries of 
both coroner and assistant to be paid by the parish of Orleans. (D. 
649, 674). The maintenance and support of prisoners confined in the 
parish of Orleans, upon charges or conviction for criminal offences, 
shall be under the control of the city of New Orleans. 

GENERAL PROVISIONS. 

Art. 148. No person shall hold any office, State, parochial or mu- 
nicipal, or shall be permitted to vote at any election or act as a juror, 
who, in due course of law, shall have been convicted of treason, 
perjury, forgery, bribery or other crime punishable by imprisonment 
in the penitentiary, or who shall be under interdiction. 

Art. 149. Members of the general assembly and all officers, before 
they enter upon the duties of their offices, shall take the following 
oath or affirmation : ^'^ I, A B, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I 
will support the constitution and laws of the United States, and the 
constitution and laws of this State; and that I will faithfully and 
impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me as 

, according to the best of my ability and understanding. So 

help me God." D. sec. 2550, 2558. 

Art. 150. The seat of government shall be and remain at the city 
of Baton Rouge. The general assembly, at its first session after the 
adoption of this constitution, shall make the necessary appropria- 
tions for the repair of the statehouse and for the transfer of the arch- 
ives of the State to Baton Rouge ; and the city council of Baton Rouge 
is hereby authorized to issue certificates of indebtedness in such 
manner and form as to cover the subscription of thirty-five thousand 
dollars tendered by the citizens and the city council of said city to 
aid in repairing the capitol in said city; provided, the city of Baton 
Rouge shall pay into the State treasury said amount of thirty-five 
thousand dollars before the contract for the repairs of the statehouse 
be finally closed. 

Art. 151. Treason against the State shall consist only in levying 
war against it, or adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and com- 



CONSTITUTION. 289 

fort. No person shall be convicted of treason except on the testi- 
mony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on his confession in 
open court. D. 85!;. 

Art. 152. All civil officers shall be removable by an address of 
two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the general 
assembly, except those whose removal is otherwise provided for by 
this constitution. 

Art. 153. No member of congress nor person holding or exercis- 
ing any office of trust or profit under the United States, or either of 
them, or under any foreign power, shall be eligible as a member of 
the general assembly, or hold or exercise any office of trust or profit 
under the State. 

Art. 154. The laws, public records and the judicial and legislative 
written proceedings of the State shall be promulgated, preserved and 
conducted in the English language; but the general assembly may 
provide for the publication of the laws in the French language, and 
prescribe that judicial advertisements in certain designated cities and 
parishes shall also be made in that language. D. 1522, 2166; Act 
1880, No. 38, p. 37. 

Art. 155. No ex post facto law, nor any law impairing the obliga- 
tion of contracts, shall be passed, nor vested rights be divested, 
unless for purposes of public utility and for adequate compensation 
previously made. 

Art. 11^6. Private property shall not be taken nor damaged for 
public purposes without just and adequate compensation being first 
paid. D. 1479, 1493. 

Art. 157. No power of suspending the laws of this State shall be 
exercised unless by the general assembly or its authority. 

Art. 158. The general assembly shall provide by law for change of 
venue in civil and criminal cases. D. 3891, 3910. 

Art. 159. No person shall hold or exercise at the same time more 
than one^office of trust or profit, except that of justice of the peace 
or notary public. 

Art. 160. The general assembly may determine the mode of filling 
vacancies in all offices for which provision is not made in this consti- 
tution. D. 2606. 

Art. 161. All officers shall continue to discharge the duties of their 
offices until their successors shall have been inducted into office, 
except in case of impeachment or suspension. D. 2608. 

Art. 162. The military shall be in subordination to the civil power, 
and no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house 
without the consent of the owner. 

Art. 163. The general assembly shall make it obligatory upon each 
parish to support all infirm, sick and disabled paupers residing within 
its limits; provided, that in every municipal corporation in a parish 
where the power of the police jury do not extend the said corporation 
shall support its own infirm, sick and disabled paupers. D. 2743 
et seq. 

Art. 164. No soldier, sailor or marine in the military or naval ser- 
vice of the United States shall hereafter acquire a domicile in this 
State by reason of being stationed or doing duty in the same. 

Art. 165. It shall be the duty of the general assembly to pass such 



290 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

laws as may be proper and necessary to decide differences by arbitra 
tion. 

Art. i66. The power of courts to punish for contempt shall be lim- 
ited by law. D. 124. 

Art. 167. The general assembly shall have authority to grant lot- 
tery charters or privileges; provided, each charter or privilege shall 
pay not less than forty thousand dollars per annum in money into the 
treasury of the State; provided further^ that all charters shall cease 
and expire on the first of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-five, 
from which time all lotteries are prohibited in the State. The forty 
thousand dollars per annum now provided by law to be paid by the 
Louisiana State lottery company, according to the provisions of its 
charter, granted in the year eighteen hundred and sixty -eight, shall 
belong to the charity hospital of New Orleans, and the charter of said 
company is recognized as a contract binding on the State for the 
period therein specified, except its monopoly clause, which is hereby 
abrogated; and all laws; contrary to the provisions of this article are 
hereby declared null and void; provided^ said company shall file a 
written renunciation of all its monopoly features in the office of the 
secretary of State within sixty days after the ratification of this con- 
stitution. Of the additional sums raised by licenses on lotteries the 
hospital at Shreveport shall receive ten thousand dollars annually, and 
the remaining sum shall be divided each year among the several par- 
ishes in the State for the benefit of their schools. 

Art. 168. In all proceedings or indictments for libel the truth thereof 
may be given in evidence. The jury in all criminal cases shall be 
judges of the law and of the facts on the question of guilt or inno- 
cence, having been charged as to the law applicable to the case by the 
presiding judee. D. 3641. 

Art. 169. No officer whose salary is fixed by the constitution shall 
be allowed any fees or perquisites of office, except where otherwise 
provided for by this constitution. D. 138. 

Art. 170. The regulation of the sale of alcoholic or spirituous 
liquors is declared a police regulation, and the general assembly may 
enact lav,?s regulating their sale and use. D. 121 1, 1216. 

Art. 171. No person who, at any tiine, may have been a collector 
of taxes, whether State, parish or municipal, or who may have been 
otherwise entrusted with public money or any portion thereof, shall 
be eligible to the general assembly or to any office of honor, profit or 
trust vinder the State government, or any parish or municipality 
thereof, until he shall have obtained a discharge for the amount of 
such collections and for all public moneys with which he may have 
been entrusted. 

Art. 172. Gambling is declared to be a vice, and the general 
assembly shall enact laws for its suppression. D. 911, 913. 

Art. 173. Any person who shall directly or indirectly offer or give 
any sum or suins of money, bribe, present, reward, protnise or 
any other thing to any officer, State, parochial or municipal, 
or to any member or officer of the general assembly, with the intent 
to induce or influence such oflficeror member of the general assembly 
to appoint any person to office, to vote or exercise any power 
in him vested, or to perform any duty of him required 



CONSTITUTION. 291 

with partiality or favor, the person giving or offering to give, and the 
officer or member of the general assembly so receiving, any money, 
bribe, present, reward, promise, contract, obligation or security, with 
the intent or for the purpose or consideration aforesaid, shall be 
guilty of bribery, and on being found guilty thereof by any court of 
competent jurisdiction, or by either house of the general assembly of 
which he may be a member or officer, shall be forever disqualified 
from holding any office, State, parochial or municipal, and shall be 
forever ineligible to a seat in the general assembly; provided^ that 
this shall not be so construed as to prevent the general assembly from 
enacting additional penalties. D. 860, 861, 3962. 

Art. 174. Any person may be compelled to testify in any lawful 
proceeding against any one who may be charged with having com- 
mitted the offence of bribery, and shall not be permitted to withhold 
his testimony upon the ground that it may criminate him or subject 
him to public infamy; but such testimony shall not afterwards be 
used against him in any judicial proceedings, except for perjury in 
giving such testimony. D. 860, 861. 

Art. 175. The general assembly shall, at its first session, pass laws 
to protect laborers on buildings, streets, roads, railroads, canals and 
other similar works against the failure of contractors and sub-con- 
tractors to pay their current wages when due and to make the cor- 
poraton, company or individual for whose benefit the work is done 
responsible for their ultimate payment. 

Art. 176. No mortgage or privilege on immovable property shall 
affect third persons unless recorded or registered in the parish where 
the property is situated, in the manner and within the time as is now 
or may be prescribed by law, except privileges for expenses of last 
illness and privileges for taxes, State, parish or inunicipal; provided, 
such privilege shall lapse in three years. D. 2877, 2888, 3093, 3188, 
31S9. 

Art. 177. Privileges on movable property shall exist without regis- 
tration for the same, except in such cases as the general assembly 
may prescribe by law after the adoption of this constitution. 

Art. 178. The general assembly shall provide for the interest of 
State medicine in all its departments, for the protection of the people 
from unqualified practitioners of medicine; for protecting confiden- 
tial communications made to medical men by their patients while vm- 
der professional treatment and for the purpose of such treatment; 
for the establishment and maintenance of a State Board of Health. 
D. 3034. 

Art. 179. The general assembly shall create a bureau of agricul- 
ture, define its objects, designate its officers and fix their salaries, at 
such time as the financial condition of the State may warrant therri, 
in their judgment, in making such expenditures; provided, that such 
expenditures never exceed ten thousand dollars per annum. Act 
1880, No. 56. 

the new canal and shell road. 

Art. 180.* The new basin canal and shell road and their appurte- 
nances shall not be leaded nor aliepated. 

*As amended in 1886, 



292 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



MILITIA. 

Art. i8i. The general assembly shall have authority to provide by 
law how the militia of this State shall be organized, officred, trained, 
armed and equipped, and of whom it shall consist. D. 2309, 2315. 

Art. 182. The officers and men of the militia and volunteer forces 
shall receive no pay, rations or emoluments when not in active ser- 
vice by authority of the State. 

Art. 183. The general assembly may exempt from military services 
those who belong to religious societies whose tenets forbid them to 
bear arms; provided^ a money equivalent for these services shall be 
exacted. The governor shall have power to call the militia into active 
service for the preservation of law and order, or when the public 
service may require it; provided., that the police force of any city, 
town or parish shall not be organized or used as a part of the State 
militia. 

SUFFRAGE AND ELECTION. 

Art. 184. In all elections by the people the electors shall vote by 
ballot; and in all elections by persons in a representative capacity the 
vote shall be viva voce. D, 1379-1435. 

Art. 185. Every male citizen of the United States, and every male 
person of foreign birth who has been naturalized or who may have 
legally declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States 
before he offers to vote, who is twenty-one years old or upwards, 
possessing the following qualifications, shall be an elector and shall 
be entitled to vote at any election by the people, except as hereinafter 
provided: i. He shall be an actual resident of the State at least one 
year next preceding the election at which he offers to vote. 2. He 
shall be an actual resident of the parish in which he offers to vote at 
least six months next preceding the election. 3. He shall be an actual 
resident of the ward or precinct in which he offers to vote at least 
thirty days next preceding the election. 

Art. 186. The general assembly shall provide by law for the proper 
enforcement of the provisions of the foregoing article; provided., 
that in the parish of Orleans there shall be a supervisor of registra- 
tion, who shall be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice 
and consent of the senate, whose term of office shall be for the period 
of four years, and whose salary, qualifications and duties shall be 
prescribed by law. And the general assembly may provide for the 
registration of voters in other parishes. 

Art. 187. The following persons shall not be permitted to register, 
vote or hold any office or appointment of honor, profit or trust in this 
State, to-wit: those who shall have been convicted of treason, embez- 
zlement of public funds, malfeasance in office, larceny, bribery, illegal 
voting or other crime punishable by hard labor or imprisonment in 
the penitentiary, idiots and insane persons. 

Art. 188. No qualification of any kind for sufftage or office, nor 
any restraint upon the same, on account of race, color or previous 
condition shall be made by law, 



CONSTITUTION. 293 

Art. 189. Electors shall, in all cases except for treason, felony or 
breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance 
on elections, and in going to and returning from the same. 

Art. 190. The general assembly shall Vy law forbid the giving or 
selling of intoxicating drinks, on the day of election, within one mile 
of precincts, at any election held within this State. 

Art. 191. Until otherwise provided by law the general State election 
shall be held once every four years on the Tuesday next following the 
third Monday in April. Presidential electors and members of con- 
gress shall be chosen or elected in the manner and the time prescribed 
by law. 

Art. 192. Parochial and the municipal elections in the cities of 
New Orleans and Shreveport shall be held on the same day as the gen- 
eral State election, and not oftener than once in four years. 

Art. 193. For the purpose of voting no person shall be deemed to 
have gained a residence by reason of his presence, or lost it by reason 
of his absence, while employed in the service^ either civil or military, 
of this State or of the United States; nor while engaged in the navi- 
gation of the waters of the State or the United States, or of the 
high seas, nor while a student of any institution of learning. 

Art. 194. The general assembly shall provide by law for the trial 
and determination of contested elections ot all public officers, whether 
State, judicial, parochial or municipal. D. 1417-1435. 

Art. 195. No person shall be eligible to any office, State, judicial, 
parochial, municipal or ward, who is not a citizen of this State and a 
duly qualified elector of the State, judicial district, parish, munici- 
pality or ward wherein the functions of said office are to be exercised. 
And whenever any officer. State, judicial, parochial, municipal or 
ward, may change his residence from this State, or from the district, 
parish, municipality or ward in which he holds such office, the same 
shall thereby be vacated, any declaration of retention of domicile to 
the contrary notwithstanding. 

IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVALS FROM OFFICE. 

Art. 196. The governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of State, 
auditor, treasurer, attorney-general, superintendent of public educa- 
tion and the judges of all the courts of record in this State, shall be 
liable to impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors, for non- 
feasance or malfeasance in office, for incompetency, for corruption, 
favoritism, extortion or oppression in office, or for gross misconduct 
or habitual drunkenness. D. 1738, 1745. 

Art. 197. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of 
impeachment. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate; when 
sitting for that purpose the senators shall be upon oath or affirmation, 
and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two- 
thirds of the senators present. When the governor of the State is on 
trial the chief-justice or senior associate justice of the supreme court 
shall preside. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall extend only 
to removal from office and disqualification from holding any office of. 
honor, trustor profit under the State; but the party, whether con- 



294 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

victed or acquitted^ shall nevertheless be liable to prosecution, trial 
and punishment according to law. 

Art. 198. All officers against whom articles of impeachment may 
be preferred shall be suspended from the exercise of the functions of 
their office during the pendency of such impeachment; and, except 
in case of the impeachment of the governor, the appointing power 
shall make a provisional appointment to replace any suspended officer 
until the decision of the impeachment. 

Art. IQ9. For any reasonable cause the governor shall remove any 
officer on the address of two-thirds of the members elected to each 
house of the general assembly. In every such case the cause or causes 
for which such removal may be required shall be stated at length in 
the address and inserted in the journal of each house. 

Art. 200. For any of the causes specified in article one hundred and 
ninety-six judges of the courts of appeal, of the district courts through- 
out the State and of the city courts of the parish of Orleans, may be 
removed from office by judgment of the supreme court of this State 
in a suit instituted by the attorney-general or a district attorney, in 
the name of the State, on his relation. The supreme court is hereby 
vested with original jurisdiction to try such causes; and it is hereby 
made the duty of the attorney-general or of any district attorney to 
institute such suit on the written request and information of fifty 
citizens and taxpayers residing within the territorial limits of the dis- 
trict or circuit over which the judge against whom the suit is brought 
exercises the functions of his office. Such suits shall be tried, 
after citation and ten days' delay for answering, in preference to all 
other suits, and wherever the court may be sitting; but the pendency 
of such suit shall not operate a suspension from office. In all cases 
where the officer sued as above directed shall be acquitted, judgment 
shall be rendered jointly and in solido against the citizens signing the 
request, for all costs of the suit. Act. 1880, No. 122. 

Art. 201. For any of the causes enumerated in article one hundred 
and ninty-six district attorneys, clerks of court, sheriffs, coroners, 
recorders, justices of the peace, and all other parish, municipal and 
ward officers shall be removed by judgment of the district court of the 
domicile of such officers (in the parish of Orleans, the civil district 
court) ; and it shall be the duty of the district attorney, except when 
the suit is to be brought against himself, to institute suit in the man- 
ner directed in article two hundred, on the written request and infor- 
mation of twenty-five resident citizens and taxpayers in the case of 
district, parish or municipal officers, and of ten resident citizens and 
taxpayers in the case of ward officers. Svach suit shall be brought against 
a district attorney by the district attorney of an adjoining district, 
or by counsel appointed by the judge for that purpose. In all such 
cases the defendant, the State, and the citizens and taxpayers on 
whose information and at whose request such suit was brought, or 
any one of them, shall have the right to appeal, both on the law and 
on the facts, from the judgment of the court. In all cases where the 
officer sued as above directed shall be acquitted, judgment shall be 
rendered jointly and /?/ solido against the citizens signing the request 
for all costs of the suit. In cases against district attorneys, clerks, 
sheriffs and recorders the appeal shall be to the supreme court, and 



CONSTITUTION. 295 

in cases against all other officers the appeal shall be made to the court 
of appeals of the proper circuit. Such appeals shall be returnable 
within ten days to the appellate court, wherever it maj be sitting or 
wherever it may hold its next session, and may be transferred by 
order of the judges of said court to another parish within their 
circuit, and such appeals shall be tried by preference over all others. 
In cases of the refusal or neglect of the district attorney or attorney 
general to institute and prosecute any suit provided for in this and 
the preceding article, the citizens and taxpayers making the request, 
or any one of them, shall have the right by mandamus to compel him 
to perform such duty. 

REVENUE AND TAXATION. 

Art. 202. The taxing power may be exercised by the general 
assembly for State purposes, and by parish and municipal corpora- 
tions, under authority granted to them by the general assembly, for 
parish and municipal purposes. D. 3233-, 3363. 

Art. 203. Taxation shall be equal and uniform throughout the ter- 
ritorial limits of the authority levying the tax, and all property shall 
be taxed in proportion to its value, to be ascertained and directed by 
law; provided^ the assessment of all property shall never exceed 
the actual cash value thereof; and provided further, that the taxpayers 
shall have the right of testing: the correctness of their assessments 
before the courts of justice. In order to arrive at this equality and 
uniformity the general assembly shall, at its first session after the 
adoption of this constitution, provide a system of equality and uni- 
formity in assessments, based upon the relative value of property in 
the different portions of the State. The valuation put upon property 
for the purposes of State taxation shall be taken as the proper valua- 
tion for purposes of local taxation in every subdivision of the State. 

Art. 204. The taxing power shall be exercised only to carry on and 
maintain the government of the State and the public institutions 
thereof; to educate the children of the State, to pay the principal and 
interest of the public debt, to suppress insurrection, repel invasion or 
defend the State in time of war; to supply the citizens who lost a 
limb or limbs in the military service of the confederate States with 
substantial artificial limbs during life; and for levee purposes, as 
hereinafter provided. 

Art. 205. The power to tax corporations and corporate property 
shall never be surrendered nor suspended by act of the general 
assembly. 

Art. 206. The general assembly may levy a license tax, and in 
such case shall graduate the amount of such tax to be collected from 
the persons pursuing the several trade<=;, professions, vocations and 
callings. All persons, associations of persons and corporations pur- 
suing any trade, profession, business or calling, may be rendered 
liable to such tax, except clerks, laborers, clergymen, schoolteachers, 
those engaged in agricultural, horticultural, mechanical and mining 
pursuits, and manufacturers other than those of distilled alcoholic or 
malt liquors, tobacco and cigars, and cotton seed oil. No political 



296 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

corporation shall impose a greater license tax than is imposed by the 
general assembly for State purposes. 

Art. 207.* The following property shall be exempt from taxation, 
and no other, viz: All public property, places of religious worship or 
burial; all charitable institutions; all buildings and property used 
exclusively for colleges or other school purposes; the real and per- 
sonal estate of any public library and that of any other literary asso- 
ciation used by or connected with such library; all books and philo- 
sophical apparatus, and all paintings and statuary of any company or 
association kept in a public hall; provided^ the property so exempted 
be not used or leased for purposes of private or corporate profit or 
income. There shall also be exempt from taxation household prop- 
erty to the value of five hundred dollars. There shall also be exempt 
from taxation and license for a period of twenty years from the adop- 
tion of this constitution, the capital, machinery and other property 
employed in the manufacture of textile fabrics, leather, shoes, har- 
ness, saddlery, hats, flour, machinery, agricultural implements, man- 
ufacture of ice, fertilizers and chemicals, and furniture and other ar- 
ticles of wood, marble or stone, soap, stationery, ink and paper, boat 
building and z\\oq.o\2Xq\ provided^ that not less than five hands are 
employed in any one factory. 

Art. 208. The general assembly shall levy an annual poll tax, for 
the maintenance of public schools, upon every male inhabitant in the 
State over the age of twenty-one years, which shall never be less than 
one dollar nor exceed one dollar and a half per capita; and the gen- 
eral assembly shall pass laws to enforce payment of said tax. 

Art. 209. The State tax on property for all purposes whatever, in- 
cluding expenses of government, schools, levees and interest, shall 
not exceed in any one year six mills on ihe dollar of its assessed val- 
uation, if the ordinance regarding the bonded debt of the State is 
adopted and ratified by the people; and if said ordinance is not 
adopted and ratified by the people, said State tax for all purposes 
aforesaid shall not exceed in any one year five mills on the dollar of 
the assessed valuation of the property; and no parish or municipal 
tax for all purposes whatsoever shall exceed ten mills on the dollar of 
valuation; /rof/(^^^, that for the purpose of erecting and construct- 
ing public buildings, bridges and works of public improvement, in 
parishes and municipalities, the rates of taxation herein limited may 
be increased when the rate of such increase and the purpose for 
which it is intended shall have been submitted to a vote of the prop- 
erty taxpayers of such parish or municipality entitled to a vote un- 
der the election laws of the State, and a majority of same voting at 
such election shall have voted therefor. Act 1880, No. 88; No. 42, 
sec. 4; Act 1882, No. 126; 35 A., Duperier's case. 

Art. 210. There shall be no forfeiture of property for the non- 
payment of taxes, State, levee, district, parochial or municipal; but 
at the expiration of the year in which they are due the collector 
shall, without sait, and after giving notice to the delinquent in the 
manner to be provided Dy law (which shall not be by publication except 
in case of unknown owner), advertise for saie the property on which 

* As amended in 1886. 



CONSTITUTION. 297 

the taxes are due, in the manner provided for judicial sales; and 
on the day of sale he shall sell such portion of the property 
as the debtor shall point out, and in case the debtor shall not 
point out sufficient property the coUector shall at once and with- 
out further delay sell the least quantity of property which any bidder 
will buy for the- amount of the taxes, interest and costs. The sale 
shall be without appraisement, and the property sold shall be redeem- 
able at any time for the space of one year, by paying the price given, 
with twenty per cent, and costs added. No sale of property for taxes 
shall be annulled for any informality in the proceedings until the 
price paid, with ten per cent, interest, be tendered to the purchaser. 
All deeds of sale made, or that may be made by collectors of taxes 
shall be received by courts in evidence as J>rima facie valid sales. D. 
3292-3312. 

Art. 211. The tax shall be designated by the year in which it is 
collectible, and the tax on movable property shall be collected in the 
year in which the assessment is made. D. 3293. 

Art. 212. The legislature shall pass no law postponing the pay- 
ment of taxes, except in case of overflow, general conflagration, gen- 
eral destruction of the crops or other public calamity. Act 1880, 
No. 97. 

Art. 213. A levee system shall be maintained in the State, and a 
tax not to exceed one mill may be levied annually on all property 
subject to taxation, and shall be applied exclusively to the main- 
tenance and repairs of levees. 

Art. 214.* The general assembly may divide the State into levee 
districts, and provide for the appointment or election of levee com- 
missioners in said districts, who shall, in the method and manner to 
be provided by law, have supervision of the erection, repairs and 
maintenance of the levees in said districts ; to that effect the levee com- 
missioners may levy a tax not to exceed ten mills on the taxable property 
situated within the alluvial portions of said districts subject to overflow ; 
provided, that in case of necessity to raise additional funds for the 
purpose of constructing, preserving or repairing any levees protecting 
the lands of a district, the rate of taxation herein limited may be 
increased when the rate of such increase and the necessity and pur- 
pose for which it is intended shall have been submitted to a vote of 
the property taxpayers of such district, pacing taxes for themselves 
or in any representative capacity, whether resident or non-resident, 
on property situated within the alluvial portion of said district sub- 
ject to overflow, and a majority of those in number and value, voting 
at such election, shall have voted therefor. Act 80, No. 78. 

Art. 215. The provisions of the above two articles shall cease to 
have effect whenever the federal government shall assume permanent 
control and provide the ways and means for the maintenance of 
levees in this State. The federal government is authorized to make 
such geological, topographical, hydrographical and hydrometrical 
surveys and investigations within the State as may be necessary to 
carry into effect the act of congress to provide for the appointment of 
a Mississippi river commission for the improvement of said rivex 

*As amended in 1884. 



298 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

from the head of the passes, near its mouth, to the headwaters, and to 
construct and protect such public works and improvements as may be 
ordered by congress under the provisions of said act. 

Art. 2i6. The general assembly shall have power, with the con- 
currence of an adjacent State or States, to create levee districts, com- 
posed of territory partly in this State and partly in such adjacent 
State or States, and the levee commissioners for such district or 
districts shall possess all the power provided by article two hundred 
and fourteen of this constitution. 

Art. 217. Corporations companies or associations, organized or 
domiciled out of this State, but doing business herein, may be licensed 
by a mode different from that provided for home corporations or 
companies; provided^ said different mode of license shall be uniform, 
upon a graduated system as to all such corporations, companies or 
associations that transact the same kind of business. D. 735. 

Art. 218. All the articles and provisions of this constitution 
regulating and relating to the collection of State taxes and tax sales 
shall also apply to and regulate the collection of parish, district and 
municipal taxes. 

HOMESTEADS AND EXEMPTIONS. 

Art. 219. There shall be exempt from seizure and sale, by any pro- 
cess whatever, except as herein provided, the homesteads bona fide 
owned by the debtor and occupied by him, consisting of lands, build- 
ings and appurtenances, whether rural or urban; of every head of fam- 
ily or person having a mother or father, a person or persons dependent 
on him or her for support; also, one work-horse, one wagon or cart, 
one yoke of oxen, two cows and calves, twenty-five head of hogs, or one 
thousand pounds of bacon or its equivalent in pork, whether these ex- 
empted objects be attached to a homestead or not; and on a farm 
the necessary quantity of corn and fodder for the current year, and 
the necessary farming implements to the value of two thousand dol- 
lars (D. 1691, 1696); provided^ that in case the homestead exceeds 
two thousand dollars in value the beneficiary shall be entitled to that 
amount in case a sale of the homestead under any legal process real- 
izes more than that sum. No husband shall have the benefit of a 
homestead whose wife owns and is in actual enjoyment of property or 
means to the amount of two thousand dollars. Such exemptions to 
be valid shall be set apart and registered as shall be provided by law. 
The benefit of this provision may be claimed by the surviving spouse 
or minor child or children of a deceased beneficiary, if in indigent 
circumstances. 

Art. 220. Laws shall be passed as early as practicable for the set- 
ting apart, valuation and registration of property claimed as a home- 
stead. Rights to homesteads or exemptions under laws or con- 
tracts, or for debts existing at the time of adoption of this constitu- 
tion, shall not be impaired, repealed or affected by any provision of 
this constitution or any laws passed in pursuance thereof. No court 
or ministerial officer of this State shall ever have jurisdiction or au- 
thority to enforce any judgment, execution or decree against the 
property set apart for a homestead, including such improvements as 



CONSTITUTION. 299 

may be made thereon from time to time; provided^ the property 
herein declared to be exempt shall not exceed in value two thousand 
dollars. This exemption shall not apply to the following cases, to- 
wit: I, for the purchase price of said property or any part thereof; 
2, for labor and material furnished for building, repairing or improv- 
ing homesteads; 3, for liabilities incurred by any public officer or 
fiduciary, or any attorn ey-at-law, for money collected or received on 
deposit; 4, for lawful claims for taxes or assessments. 

Art. 221. The owner of a homestead shall at any time have the 
right to supplement his exemption by adding to an amount already 
set apart, which is less than the whole amount of exemption herein 
allowed, sufficient to make his homestead and exemption equal to the 
whole amount allowed by this constitution. 

Art. 222. The homestead shall not be susceptible of mortgage, 
except for the purchase price, labor and material furnished for the 
building, repairing or improving homestead; nor shall any renuncia- 
tion or waiver of homestead rights or exemptions be valid. The right 
to sell any property which shall be recorded as a homestead shall be 
preserved, but no sale shall destroy or impair any rights of creditors 
therein. 

Art. 223. Equitable laws shall be passed for the protection of cred- 
itors against the fraudulent claims of debtors, for the punishment of 
fraud, and for reaching property and funds of the debtor concealed 
from the creditor. 

PUBLIC education. 

Art. 224. There shall be free public schools established by the gen- 
eral assembly throughout the State for the education of all the children 
ot the State between the ages of six and eighteen years; and the gen- 
eral assembly shall provide for their establishment, maintenance and 
support by taxation or otherwise. And all moneys so raised, except 
the poll tax, shall be distributed to each parish in proportion to the 
number of children between the ages of six and eighteen years. D. 
1 2 17 et seg . 

Art. 225. There shall be elected by the qualified electors of the 
State a superintendent ot public education, who shall hold his office 
for the term of four years, and until his successor is qualified. His 
duties shall be prescribed by law, and he shall receive an annual salary 
of two thousand dollars. The aggregate annual expenses of his office, 
including his salary, shall not exceed the bum of three thousand dol- 
lars. The general assembly shall provide for the appointment of 
parish boards of public education for the different parishes. The 
parish boards may appoint a parish superintendent of public schools 
in their respective parishes, who shall be ex officio secretary of the 
parish board, and whose salary for his double functions shall not 
exceed two hundred dollars annually, except that in the parish of 
Orleans the salary of the parish superintendent shall be fixed by the 
general assembly, to be paid out of the public school fund accruing 
to each parish respectively. 

Art. 226. The general exercises in the public schools shall be con* 
ducted in the English language, and the elementary branches taught 



300 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

therein; provided, that these elementary branches may be also taught 
in the French language in those parishes in the State or localities in 
said parishes where the French language predominates, if no 
additional expense is incurred thereby. 

Art. 227. The funds derived from the collection of the poll tax 
shall be applied exclusively to the maintenance of the public schools 
as organized under this constitution, and shall be applied exclusively 
to support of the public schools in the parish in which the same shall 
be collected; and shall be accounted for and paid by the collecting 
officers directly to the competent school authorities of each parish. 

Art. 228. No funds raised for the support of the public schools of 
the State shall be appropriated to or used for the support of any 
sectarian schools. 

Art. 229. The school funds of this State shall consist of — i, the 
proceeds of taxation for school purposes, as provided in this constitu- 
tion; 2, the interest on the proceeds of all public lands heretofore 
granted by the United States for the use and support of the public 
schools; 3, of lands and other property which may hereafter be 
bequeathed, granted or donated to the State, or generally for school 
purposes; 4, all funds or propeity, other than unimproved lands, 
bequeathed or granted to the State, not designated for other purposes; 
5, the proceeds of vacant estates falling under the law to the State of 
Louisiana. The legislature may appropriate to same fund the pro- 
ceeds, in whole or in part, of public lands not designated for any other 
purpose, and shall provide that every parish may levy a tax for the 
public schools therein, which shall not exceed the State tax; provided^ 
that with such tax the whole amount of parish taxes shall not exceed 
the limits of parish taxation fixed by this constitution. 

CONCERNING A STATE UNIVERSITY. 

Art 230.* An act to foster, maintain and develop the University of 
Louisiana, to that end to make the Board of Administrators of the 
Tulane Education Fund, as presently constituted, with the addition 
of the Governor, Superintendent of Public Education, and Mayor 
of the city of New Orleans, as ex-officio members thereof, the Ad- 
ministrators of the University of Louisiana, which shall hereafter 
be known as the '^Tulane University of Louisiana;" to invest 
said Tulane Board with all the powers, privileges, franchises and 
immunities now vested in the Board of Administrators of the 
University of Louisiana; and with such other powers as may be 
necessary or pertinent to develop, control, foster and maintain it 
as a great University in the city of New Orleans. To give to the 
Administrators of the Tulane Education Fund the control, man- 
agement and use of all the property of the University of Louisiana, 
in tlie city of New Orleans, for the purposes aforesaid: To ex- 
empt, in consequence of the terms of this act, and the dedication 
of its revenues to the purposes stated in this act, all the property, 
real and personal, present and future, of the said Board of Ad- 
ministrators of the Tulane Education Fund, from all taxation, 

*As amended in 1884. 



CONSTITUTION. 301 

whether State, ;;>arochial or municipal: To make a contract, 
irrevocable and conclu'^ive, between the State and the Adminis- 
trators of the Tulane Education Fund, covering the provisions of 
this act: To enable the said Board of Administrators of the 
"Tulane Education Fund " to decline to accept the provisions of 
this act, unless the same, in all its provisions, be ratified and ap- 
proved bj a constitutional amendment, to be submitted at the 
next general election : To give said Board of Administrators of 
the " Tulane Education Fund," upon the adoption of said con- 
stitutional amendment, not only the full powers of administration 
over the University of Louisiana conferred by this act, but also 
the power to create, develop and maintain a great University in 
the city of New Orleans, which University so to be created shall 
perpetually be under their full and complete control: To enable 
said Board, should they act under the provisions of this act, pend- 
ing the submission of said constitutional amendment, to with- 
draw and relieve themselves from all the effects of said action 
should said proposed constitutional amendment be rejected, and 
to provide for the submission of a constitutional amendment 
ratifying the provisions of this act to the people of the State at 
the next general election; 
Whereas, Paul Tulane, Esq., formerly a resident of this State, and 
now of Princeton, New Jersey, with the beneficent purpose of foster- 
ing higher education in this State, did, in May, 1882, express to cer- 
tain citizens of this State his intention to donate for such purposes 
valuable real estate to him belonging, situate in the city of New Or- 
leans; and, 

Whereas, The citizens to whom the intentions of Paul Tulane, Esq., 
were expressed, did, by act, before Chas. G. Andry, a notary public 
in the city of New Orleans, organize themselves into a corporation, 
under the name of the "Administrators of the Tulane Education 
Fund," with the objects and purposes specified in said act of incor- 
poration; and, 

Whereas, Since the formation of said corporation, Paul Tulane, 
Esq., in the execution of his previously expressed intention, has 
donated to said Administrators of the " Tulane Education Fund " 
nearly one million dollars, the revenues whereof are to be used for 
the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral and indus- 
trial education, and has expressed his intention to largely increase 
said donation should this act be adopted; and, 

Whereas, The said Board of Administrators of the " Tulane Educa- 
tion Fund," in order to make their work fruitful in results, have 
expressed their desire to take charge of the University of Louisiana, 
in the city of New Orleans, and to devote the revenues of the property 
now owned, or hereafter to be owned, by said Board, to its expansion 
and development; and upon the adoption of a constitutional amend- 
ment to that end, to apply all the revenues of property now owned, 
or hereafter to be acquired by them, to the creation and development 
in the city of New Orleans of a great University, whereby the bless- 
ings of higher education, intellectual, moral and industrial, may. be 
given to the youth of this State; and, 



302 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Whereas, Under the terms of this action, as proposed bj said Board, 
the property of said Board, and the revenues thereof, will not be used 
for purpose of private or corporate income or profit, but will be ex- 
clusively dedicated to school purposes, and to the service of the State 
in maintaining and developing the University of Louisiana, an insti- 
tution recognized in the Constitution, therefore entitling the said 
property of said Board to exemption from all taxation, both State, 
parochial and municipal; therefore, 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, 

Section i. That the Board of Administrators of the University of 
Louisiana shall hereafter, instead of the Board appointed as provided 
by section thirteen hundred and fifty-one (1351) of the Revised 
Statutes, consist of the seventeen administrators of the " Tulane Edu- 
cation Fund," with power, perpetually, to fill any vacancy in their 
own n\\xu}oQ.x\ provided, that the said Board shall, on the passage of 
this statute, recognize by formal notarial act the Governor of the State, 
the Superintendent of Public Education, and the Mayor of the city of 
New Orleans, as ex-officio members of said Board. 

Sec. 2. Beit further enacted, etc., That the Board of Administrators 
of the ''Tulane Education Fund," as Administrators of the University 
of Louisiana, shall have all the rights, powers, privileges, franchises 
and immunities, now vested in tlie Board of Administrators of the 
University of Louisiana by existing laws. That they shall further 
have full direction, control, and administration of the University of 
Louisiana, now established in the city of New Orleans, in all its de- 
partments as also of all the property belonging to the State of Louis- 
iana, and now dedicated to or used by the University of Louisiana as 
well as of all property controlled or used by the said University of 
Louisiana, and for the purposes thereof, and the Board of Adminis- 
trators of the University of Louisiana are hereby empowered and di- 
rected to turn over to the Board of Administrators of the " Tulane 
Education Fund" all the property, rights, books, papers and ar- 
chives now under their administration or control; provided, that if 
the custody of the State library should be transferred to the Tulane 
University of Louisiana, as herein established by the consolidation of 
the University of Louisiana at New Orleans with the Board of Ad- 
ministrators of the " Tulane Education Fund," as herein provided 
for, through the University of Louisiana, at New Orleans, as it now 
exists, or otherwise, it shall be on the express condition and agree- 
ment that the State of Louisiana may resume the custody and control 
of said State Library, whenever it maybe deemed advisable; and pro- 
vided further, that after the establishment of the "Tulane University 
of Louisiana," as herein provided for, and after the transfer of the 
custody of the State Library thereto as aforesaid, if the custody 
thereof shall be transferred to the "Tulane University of Louisiana," 
as herein established, then and in that event, the State of Louisiana 
shall be relieved of and released from all obligations to pay the salary 
or compensation of the State Librarian or his assistants, as is now or 
may hereafter be fixed by law, during the period said State Library 
may remain in the custody of said "Tulane University of Louisiana;" 
but that during said period the salary or compensation of said State 
Librarian shall be paid by the " Tulane University of Louisiana," 



CONSTITURION. 303 

An inventory shall be made ot all the property, movable and immova- 
ble, belonging to the University of Louisiana, and transferred by this 
act to the control and administration of the Administration of the 
Tulane Education Fund, by two appraisers to be appointed for that 
purpose by the Governor of the State and sworn, which appraisement 
shall be filed in the office ot the .Secretary of State, as evidencing the 
description and appraised value of the property so transferred, and 
also in order that the liability of the said Administrators of the 
Tulane Education Fund may not be extended beyond a return of the 
property, so transferred, in any contingency; provided further, that 
the property so transferred may not be sold or disposed of, except 
under legislative sanction; provided further , that if the '' Tulane 
University of Louisiana," as herein established, should cease to use 
the property, and exercise the privileges, franchises and immunities, 
now under the control and administration of, and enjoyed by the 
University of Louisiana, as now constituted and transferred by this 
act for the exclusive purposes intended by this act, then and in that 
event the State of Louisiana shall have the right to resume the cus- 
tody, control and administration of*^said property, and the exercise 
of said privileges, franchises and immunities. 

Sec. 3. Be it enacted, etc., That the said Board of Administrators 
of the "Tulane Education Fund," shall perpetually as Administrators 
of the University of Louisiana as above provided, have full and com- 
plete control of all the property and rights, and now vested in the 
University of Louisiana. The said Board shall have the powers above 
provided in addition to those conferred by its charter, by act passed 
before Chas. G, Andry, Notary Public, in the city of New Orleans, 
on the 29th day of May, Anno Domini 1882, including the power to 
hold and own all real and personal property, now to said Board be- 
longing, or hereafter to be by it acquired, during its corporate exist- 
ence, for the purposes and objects of its being, or the revenues 
whereof are to be solely applicable to such purposes. 

Sec. 4. Be it enacted, etc., That in honor of Paul Tulane and in 
recognition of his beneficent gifts and of their dedication to the pur- 
poses expressed in this act, the name of the University of Louisiana 
be and the same is hereby changed to that of the "Tulane University 
of Louisiana," under which name it shall possess all the powers, privi- 
leges, immunities and franchises, now vested in said University of 
Louisiana, as well as such powers as may flow from this act or may 
be vested in said Board, under the term of this act, from the adoption 
of the Constitutional Amendment hereafter referred to. The purpose 
of this act being to invest the Board of Administrators of the 
" Tulane Education Fund " with all the rights now vested in the Uni- 
versity of Louisiana; to give said Board moreover complete control 
of said University in all its departments, and in every respect, with 
all powers necessary or incidental to the exercise of said control. 
To enable said Board, besides the powers designated by this act, to 
have irrevocably upon the adoption of said Constitutional Amend- 
ment, full power with the rights hereby conferred to create and de- 
velop a great University in the city of New Orleans to be named i^s 
aforesaid. Said University to be established by the said Board of 
Administrators of the " Tulane Education Fund," to be dedicated to 



304 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

the intellectual, moral and industrial education of the youth of the 
State, in accordance with the Charter of said Board of Administrators 
of the "Tulane Education Fund." 

Sec. 5. Be it further enacted, etc., That in consideration of the 
agreement of said Board to develop and maintain the University of 
Louisiana, and thereby dedicate its revenues not to purposes of pri- 
vate or corporate income or profit, but to the public purposes of de- 
veloping and maintaining the University of Louisiana, all the prop- 
erty of the said Board, present and future, be and the same is hereby 
recognized as exempt from all taxation, State, parochial and munici- 
pal; this exemption to remain in force as long as the revenues of the 
said Board are directed to the maintenance of the University of Lou- 
isiana, as aforesaid, or until said Constitutional Amendment be 
adopted. The adoption of said amendment shall operate such ex- 
emption in consideration of the said Board expending their revenues 
as aforesaid, or creating, maintaining and developing a great Univer- 
sity in the City of New Orleans; provided, that the property exempted 
from taxation by this act shall not exceed in value five millions of 
dollars, invested in real estate ifot otherwise exempted, which said 
value shall be determined in the mode required by law for the assess- 
ment and valuation of property subject to taxation, it being the true 
meaning and intent hereof, that all the property of the Tulane Uni- 
versity of Louisiana, of whatsoever character, shall be exempted 
from taxation, State, parochial and municipal, except the excess of 
real estate belonging thereto, over and above the value of five million 
dollars, as above stated. 

Sec. 6. Be it further e?iacted, etc.. That in consideration of the 
vesting of the administration of the University of Louisiana in the 
said Administrators of the "Tulane Education Fund," of the trans- 
fer of the rights, powers, privileges, franchises and immunities of the 
said University to said Administrators, and of the exemption from all 
taxation as hereinabove provided, the said Administrators hereby 
agree and bind themselves, with the revenues and income of the 
property heretofore given them by Paul Tulane, Esq., as well as from 
the revenues of all other property, real, personal or mixed, hereafter 
to be held, owned or controlled by them, for the purposes of educa- 
tion, to develop, foster and maintain, to best of their ability and 
judgment, the University of Louisiana, hereafter to be known as the 
*' Tulane University of Louisiana," and upon the adoption of the 
Constitutional Amendment aforesaid, to perpetually use the powers 
conferred by this act, and all power vested in them, for the purpose 
of creating and maintaining in the city of New Orleans a great Uni- 
versity, devoted to the intellectual, moral and industrial education 
and advancement of the youth of this State, under the terms of the 
donation of Paul Tulane, and the previous provisions of this act. 
The said Board further agree and bind themselves to waive all legal 
claim upon the State of Louisiana for any appropriation, as provided 
in the Constitution of this State, in favor of the University of Louis- 
iana. Besides the waiver of the claim, as aforesaid, as an additional 
consideration between the parties to this act, the said Board agrees 
to give continuously, in the academic department, free tuition to one 
student from each Senatorial and from each Representative district 



CONSTITUTION. 305 

or parish, to be nominated by its member in the General Assembly 
from among the bona fide citizens and residents of his district or 
parish, who shall comply with the requirements for admission estab- 
lished by said Board. The meaning of this provision being that each 
member of the General Assembly, whether Senator or Representa- 
tive, shall have the right of appointing one student, in accordance 
with the foregoing provisions. The free tuition herein provided 
for shall continue until each student has graduated from the academic 
department, unless his scholarship has ceased from other causes. 
Whenever a scholarship becomes vacant, from any cause, the Senator 
or Representative who appointed the previous student, or his suc- 
cessor, shall, in the manner prescribed by this section, immediately 
name a successor. 

Sec. 7. Be it further etmcted, etc., That this act, in all its provi- 
sions be and the same is hereby declared to be a contract between the 
State of Louisiana and the Administrators of the " Tulane Educa- 
tion Fund," irrevocably vesting the said Administrators of the '^ Tulane 
Education Fund " with the powers, franchises, rights, immunities 
and exemptions herein enumerated and hereby granted, and irrevo- 
cably binding said administrators to develop, foster and maintain as 
above provided, the University as aforesaid in the city of New Or- 
leans, subject to and in accordance with the terms of this act. 

Sec. 8. Be it further enacted, etc., That this act, in all its terms, 
provisions and stipulations, without in any manner affecting the 
validity thereof, or casting any doubt upon its constitutionality, 
be submitted for ratification at the next general election by constitu- 
tional amendment, as hereinabove and hereinafter provided. 

Sec. 9. Be it further efiacted, etc., That upon the passage and pro- 
mulgation of this act the said Administrators of the "Tulane Educa- 
tion Fund," shall have the right to avail themselves of the provisions 
of this act pending the submission of the constitutional amendment 
aforesaid. In case they should so elect to do, the said Administrators, 
upon the passage of this law and the promulgation thereof, shall give 
notice of such intention to his Excellency, the Governor of this State, 
which notice shall authorize said Board to act under the provisions 
of this act and to exercise all the powers, privileges, franchises, im- 
munities and rights which this act confers, and to undertake the per- 
formance of the duties by it imposed. In case the said Constitutional 
Amendment as aforesaid be not ratified, the said Board shall not in 
any way be held bound by its said action, but shall have the right to 
relieve itself of all liability growing out of such action by turning 
over to the Governor of the State, any property received by it from 
the State, or from the Administrators of the University of Louisiana, 
under the terms of this act, which to the extent of its imposing any 
obligation on the said Administrators of the *'Tulane Education 
Fund," shall by said return, become null and void; provided, that the 
said Board may in the event of the defeat of the said Constitutional 
Amendment continue to secure and to avail themselves of the provi- 
sion of this act to the full extent that, the same are legal without con- 
stitutional enactment. 

Sec. 10. Be it further enacted, etc., That Sections 1357, 1362, 1363, 
1365^ 1366, 1367, 1370, 1372, 1373 and 1374 of the Revised Statutes, be 



306 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

and the same are hereby repealed, and that all laws and parts of laws 
conflicting in any manner with the terms of this act, be and the same 
are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 1 1 . Be it further enacted^ etc., That at the next general election 
to be held in this State, there shall be submitted to the people of the 
State the following amendment to the Constitution: (The terms of 
the Act No. [here inserting the number of this act] adopted at the 
session of the Legislature in the year 1884, are hereby ratified and ap- 
proved; and all provisions of the Constitution of 1879 repugnant 
thereto, or in any way impairing the passage thereof, are hereby re- 
pealed, so far as the operations of said act are concerned.) 

Sec. 12. Be it further e?iacted, etc., That all electors who desire to 
vote at said election for said amendment, shall write or print upon 
their ballots the words: '^For the Tulane Universit}' amendment," 
and all electors who desire to vote at said election against said amend- 
ment shall write or print upon their ballots the words: "Against the 
Tulane University amendment." 

The Louisiana State university and agricultural and mechanical 
college, now established and located in the city of Baton Rouge, is 
hereby recognized, and all revenues derived and to be derived from the 
sales of land or land scrip, donated by the United States to the State of 
Louisiana, for the use of a seminary of learning and mechanical and 
agricultural college, shall be appropriated exclusively to the main- 
tenance and support of said university and agricultural and mechan- 
ical college; and the general assembly shall from time to time make 
such additional appropriations for the maintenance and support of 
said Louisiana State university and agricultural and mechanical col- 
lege as the public necessities and the well-being of the people of the 
State of Louisiana may require, not to exceed ten thousand dollars 
annually. 

Art. 231. The general assembly shall also establish in the city of 
New Orleans a university for the education of persons of color, pro- 
vide for its proper government, and shall make an annual appropria- 
tion of not less than five thousand dollars nor more than ten thou- 
sand dollars for its maintenance and support. 

Art. 232. Women over twenty- one years of age shall be eligible 
to any ofiice of control or management under the school laws of this 
State. 

THE FREE SCHOOL FUND, SEMINARY FUND AND AGRICULTURAL AND 
MECHANICAL COLLEGE FUND. 

Art. 233. The debt due by the State to the free school fund is 
hereb}' declared to be the sum of one million one hundred and thirty 
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven dollars and fifty-one cents in 
principal, and shall be placed on the books of the auditor and treas- 
urer to the credit of the several townships entitled to the same; the 
said principal being the proceeds of the sales of lands heretofore 
granted by the United States for the use and support of free public 
schools, which amount shall be held by the State as a loan, and shall 
be and remain a perpetual fund, on which the State shall pay an an- 
nual interest of four per cent, from the first day of January, eighteen 



CONSTITUTION. 307 

hundred and eighty; and that said interest shall be paid to the sev- 
eral townships in the State entitled to the same in accordance with 
the act of congress, number sixty-eight, approved February fifteenth, 
eighteen hundred and forty-three; and the bonds of the State hereto- 
fore issued, belonging to said fund and sold under act of the general 
assembly, number eighty- one of eighteen hundred and seventy-two, 
are hereby declared null and void, and the general assembly shall 
make no provision for their paymctnt, and may cause them to be de- 
stroyed. (D. 1313-1331.) The debt due by the State to the seminary 
fund is hereby declared to be one hundred and thirty-six thousand 
dollars, being the proceeds of the sales of lands heretofore granted 
by the United States to this State for the use of a seminary of learn- 
ing. And said amount shall be placed to the credit of said fund on 
the books of the auditor and treasurer of the State as a perpetual 
loan, and the State shall pay an annual interest of four per cent, on 
said amount from January first, eighteen hundred and eighty, for the 
use of said seminary of learning. And the consolidated bonds of the 
State now held for use of said fund shall be null and void after the 
first day of January, eighteen hundred and eighty, and the general 
assembly shall never make any provision for their payment, and they 
shall be destroyed in such manner as the general assembly may direct. 
The debt due by the State to the agricultural and mechanical college 
fund is hereby declared to be the sum of one hundred and eighty-two 
thousand three hundred and thirteen dollars and three cents, being 
the proceeds of the sales of lands and land scrip heretofore granted 
by the United States to this State for the use of a college for the ben- 
efit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. Said amounts shall be 
placed to the credit of said fund on the books of the auditor and 
treasurer of the State as a perpetual loan, and the State shall pay an 
annual interest of five per cent, on said amount from January first, 
eighteen hundred and eighty, for the use of said agricultural and 
mechanical college. The consolidated bonds of the State now held 
by the State for the use of said fund shall be null and void after the 
first day of January, eighteen hundred and eighty, and the general 
assembly shall never make any provision for their payment, and they 
shall be"^destroyed in such manner as the general assembly may direct. 
The interest provided for by this article shall be paid out of any tax 
that may be levied and collected for the general purposes of public 
education. 

CORPORATIONS AND CORPORATE RIGHTS. 

Art. 234. The general assembly shall not remit the forfeiture of 
the charter of any corporation now existing, nor renew, alter or 
amend the same, nor pass any general or special law for the benefit 
of such corporation, except upon the condition that such corporation 
shall thereafter hold its charter subject to the provisions of this con- 
stitution. C. C. 427-447, 677-746; Act 1880, No. 79. 

Art. 235. The exercise of the police power of the State shall 
never be abridged or so construed as to permit corporations to con- 
duct their business in such manner as to infringe the equal rights of 
individuals or the general well-being of the State. 



308 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

Art. 236. No foreign corporation shall do any business in this 
State without having one or more known places ot business, and an 
authorized agent- or agents in the State, upon whom process may be 
served. D. 735. 

Art. 237. No corporation shall engage in any business other than 
that expressly authorized in its charter or incidental thereto; nor 
shall it take or hold any real estate for a longer period than ten years, 
except such as may be necessary and proper for its legitimate busi- 
ness or purposes. C. C. 433; D. 681, 682; Act 1880, No. 79. 

Art. 238. No corporation shall issue stock nor bonds except for 
labor done or money or property actually received; and all fictitious 
issues of stock shall be void, and any corporation issuing such ficti- 
tious stock shall forfeit its charter. C. C. 433; D. 692. 

Art. 239. The stock shall not be increased, except in pursuance of 
general laws, nor without consent of persons holding the larger 
amount in value of the stock first obtained, at a meeting of stock- 
holders to be held after thirty days' notice given in pursuance of 
law. D. 687. 

Art. 240. The term corporation as used in this constitution shall 
be construed to include all joint stock companies or associations hav- 
ing any power or privileges not possessed by individuals or partner- 
ships. 

Art. 241. It shall be a crime, the nature and punishment of which 
shall be prescribed by law, for any president, director, manager, 
cashier, or other officer or owner of any private or public bank or 
banking institution to assent to the reception of deposits, or the cre- 
ation of debts by such banking institution after he shall have had 
knowledge of the fact that it is insolvent or in failing circumstances. 
Any such officer, agent or manager shall be individually responsible 
for such deposits so received, and all such debts so created with his 
assent. D. 809-832. 

Art. 242. The general assembly shall have power to enact general 
laws authorizing the parochial or municipal authorities of the State, 
under certain circumstances, by a vote of the majority of the property 
taxpayers in numbers and in value, to levy special taxes in aid of pub- 
lic improvements or railway enterprises; provided^ that such tax shall 
not exceed the rate of five mills per annum, nor extend for a longer 
period than ten years. D. 711-714; Act 1880, No. 78. 

Art. 243. Any railroad corporation or association organized for 
the purpose shall have the right to construct and operate a railroad 
between any points within this State, and connect at the State line 
with railroads of other States. Every railroad company shall have 
the right with its road to intersect, connect with or cross any other 
railroad, and shall receive and transport each the other's passengers, 
tonnage and cars, loaded or empty, without delay or discrimination. 

Art. 244. Railways heretofore constructed or that may hereafter 
be constructed in this State are hereby declared public highways, 
and railroad companies common carriers. D. 466, 1697; C. C. 
2745» 2751. 

Art. 245. Every railroad or other corporation, organized or doing 
business in this State under the laws or authority thereof, shall have 
and maintain a public office or place in this State for the transaction 



CONSTITUTION. 309 

of its business, where transfers of stock shall be made, and where 
shall be kept for public inspection books, in which shall be recorded 
the amount of capital stock subscribed, the names of owners of stock, 
the amount owned by them respectively, the amounts of stock paid 
and by whom, the transfers of said stock, with the date ot transfer, 
the amount of its assets and liabilities, and the names and places of 
residence of its officers. C. C. 38. 

Art. 246. If any railroad company organized under the laws of this 
State shall consolidate, by sale or otherwise, with any railroad com- 
pany organized under the laws of any other State or of the United 
States, the same shall not thereby become a foreign corporation; but 
the courts of this State shall retain jurisdiction in all matters which 
may arise, as if said consolidation had not taken place. In no case 
shall any consolidation take place except upon public notice of at 
least sixty days to all stockholders, in such manner as may be pro- 
vided by law. 

Art. 247. General laws shall be enacted providing for the creation 
of private corporations, and shall therein provide fully for the ade- 
quate protection of the public and of the individual stockholder. D. 
677-746; C. C. 427-447. 

Art. 24S. The police juries of the several parishes and the consti- 
tuted authorities of all incorporated municipalities of the State shall 
alone have the power ot regulating the slaughtering of cattle and 
other live stock within rheir respective limits; provided^ no monopoly 
or exclusive privilege shall exist in this State, nor such business be 
restricted to the land or houses of any individual or corporation; 
provided, the ordinances designating the places for slaughtering shall 
obtain the concurrent approval of the board of health or other 
sanitary organization. D. 2743, 3033. 

PAROCHIAL AFFAIRS AND BOUNDARIES. 

Art. 249. The general assembly may establish and organize new 
parishes, which shall be bodies corporate, with such powers as may 
be prescribed by law; but no new parish shall contain less than six 
hundred and twenty-five square miles, nor less than seven thousand 
inhabitants; nor shall any parish be reduced below that area or num- 
ber of inhabitants. 

Art. 250. All laws changing parish lines or removing parish seats 
shall, before taking effect, be submitted to the electors of the parish 
or the parishes to be affected thereby, at a special election held for 
that purpose, and be adopted by a majority of votes of each parish 
cast at such election. 

Art. 251. Any parish may be dissolved and merged by the general 
assembly into a contiguous parish or parishes, two-thirds of the 
qualified electors of the parish proposed to be dissolved voting in 
favor thereof at an election held for that purpose; provided^ that 
each of the parishes into which the dissolved parish proposes to 
become incorporated consents thereto by a majority of its qualified 
electors voting therefor. 

Art. 252. Whenever a parish shall be enlarged or created from ter- 
ritory contiguous thereto it shall be entitled to a just proportion of 



310 HISTORY OP LOUISIANA. 

the property and assets and liable for a just proportion of the exist- 
ing debts or liabilities of the parish or parishes from which such ter- 
ritory shall be taken. 

THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. 

Art. 253. The citizens of the city of New Orleans or any political 
corporation which may be created within its limits shall have the 
right of appointing the several public officers necessary for the 
administration of the police of said city, pursuant to the mode of 
election which shall be provided by the general assembly. 

Art. 254. The general assembly at its next session after the adop- 
tion of this constitution shall enact such legislation as may be proper 
to liquidate the indebtedness of the city of New Orleans, and apply 
its assets to the satisfaction thereof. It shall have authority to cancel 
the charter of said city, and remit its inhabitants to another form of 
government if necessary. In any such new form of government no 
salary shall exceed three thousand five hundred dollars. Act 1S80, 
No. 74. 

Art. 255. The general assembly shall pass necessary laws to pre- 
vent sailors or others of the crew of foreign vessels from working on 
the wharves and levees of the city of New Orleans; provided^ there 
is no treaty between the United States and foreign powers to the 
contrary. 

AMENDMENT AND REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION. 

Art. 256. Propositions for the amendment of this constitution 
may be made by the general assembly at any session thereof; and if 
two-thirds of all the members elected to each house shall concur 
therein, after such proposed amendments have been read in such 
respective houses, on three separate days, such proposed amend- 
ment or amendments, together with the yeas and nays thereon, 
shall be entered on the journal, and the secretary of State shall cause 
the same to be published in two newspapers published in the parish 
of Orleans, and in one paper in each other parish of the State in 
which a newspaper is published, for three months preceding the 
next election for representatives, at which time the said amendment 
or amendments shall be submitted to the electors for their approval 
or rejection; and if a majority voting on said amendment or amend- 
ments shall approve and ratify the same, then such amendment or 
amendments, so approved and ratified, shall become a part of the 
constitution. When more than one amendment shall be submitted 
at the same time they shall be so submitted as to enable the electors 
to vote on each amendment separately. The result of said election 
shall be made known by the proclamation of the governor. 

SCHEDULE. 

Art. 257. The constitution of this State, adopted in eighteen hun- 
dred and sixty-eight, and all amendments thereto, is declared to be 
superseded by this constitution; and in order to carry the same into 
effect it is hereby declared and ordained as follows* 



CONSTITUTION. 311 

Art. 258. All rights, actions, prosecutions, claims and contracts, as 
well of individuals as of bodies corporate, and all laws in force at the 
time of the adoption of this constitution and not inconsistent there- 
with, shall continue as if the said constitution had not been adopted. 
But the monopoly features in the charter of any corporation now 
existing in the State, save such as may be contained in the charters of 
railroad companies, are hereby abolished. 

Art. 259. In order that no inconvenience may result to the public 
service from the taking effect of this constitution, no office shall be 
superseded thereby; but the laws of the State relative to the duties of 
the several officers — executive, judicial and military — shall remain in 
full force, though the same be contrary to this constitution; and the 
several duties shall be performed by the respective officers of the 
State, according to the existing laws, until the organization of the 
government under this constitution, and the entering into office of 
the new officers to be appointed or elected under said government, 
and no longer. 

Art. 260. Appointments to office by the executive under this con- 
stitution shall be made by the governor, to be elected under its 
authority. 

Art. 261. All causes in which appeals have been or may be here- 
after taken or now pending in the supreme court, under the constitu- 
tion of eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, and of which jurisdiction 
has been vested by this constitution in the courts of appealj shall 
after the adoption of this constitution, be transferred for trial to the 
court of appeal of the circuit from which the appeal has been or may 
be taken. All other causes that may be pending in the supreme court, 
under the constitution of eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, shall be 
transferred to the supreme court created by this constitution as soon 
as it shall be organized. All causes that may be pending in all other 
courts, under the constitution of eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, 
upon the adoption of this constitution and the organization of the 
courts created by this constitution, shall be transferred to the courts 
respectively having jurisdiction thereof under this constitution. 

Art. 262. Immediately after the adjournment of this convention 
the governor shall issue his proclamation, directing the several offi- 
cers of the State, authorized by law to hold elections for members of 
the general assembly, to open and hold a poll in every parish in the 
State, at the places designated by law, upon the first Tuesday in the 
month of December next, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, for 
the purpose of taking the sense of the good people of this State in 
regard to the adoption or rejection of this constitution; and it shall 
be the duty of said officers to receive the votes of all persons entitled 
to vote under the constitution of eighteen hundred and sixty-eight. 
Each voter shall express his opinion by depositing in the ballot box a 
ticket, whereon shall be written or printed, ^^ for the constitution," 
or " against the constitution," or some such words as will distinctly 
convey the intention of the voter. It shall also be the duty of the 
governor in his said proclamation to direct the said officers author- 
ized by law to hold elections to open and hold a poll at the above • 
stated time and places for the election of governor, lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, members of the general assembly, secretary of State, attor- 



312 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

/ 

ney-general, State auditor and superintendent of public education, 
and of all other officers whose election by the people is provided for 
in this constitution; and the names of the persons voted for shall 
be written or printed on the same ticket and deposited in the same 
box as the votes for or against the constitution. And the said election 
for the adoption or rejection of the constitution and for the said offi- 
cers shall be conducted and the returns thereof made in conformity 
with existing laws upon the subject of State elections. Upon receipt 
of the said returns, or the last Monday in December, eighteen hun- 
dred and seventy-nine, if the returns be not sooner received it shall 
be the duty of the governor, lieutenant-governor, the secretary of 
State and the attorney-general, in the presence of all such persons as 
may choose to attend, to compile the votes given at the said polls for 
ratification and rejection of this constitution; and if it shall appear 
from said returns that a majority of all the votes given on the question 
of adoption and rejection of the constitution is for ratifying this 
constitution, then it shall be the duty of the governor to make imme- 
diate proclamation of that fact, and thenceforth this constitution shall 
be ordained and established as the constitution of the State of Louis- 
iana, and the general assembly elected in eighteen hundred and 
seventy-eight shall thereupon be dissolved. Whethsr this constitution 
be adopted or rejected it shall be the duty of the governor to cause to 
be published in the official paper of the convention the result of the 
polls, showing the number of votes cast in each parish for and against 
the said constitution. If the constitution be ratified it shall be the 
duty of the secretary of State to examine and compile the returns 
and publish the result of the election of officers herein ordained, 
and in the manner provided by existing laws. 

Art. 363. The general assembly first elected under this constitu 
tion shall convene in the city of New Orleans upon the second Mon- 
day in January next, eighteen hundred and eighty, after the election, 
and the governor and lieutenant-governor elected shall be duly 
installed in office during the first week of the session, and before it 
shall be competent for the said general assembly to proceed with the 
transaction of business beyond their own organization. 

Art. 264. The State auditor, attorney-general, secretary of State 
and superintendent of public education, elected at the first election 
herein provided for, shall enter upon the discharge of the duties of 
their respective offices on the second Monday of January, eighteen 
hundred and eighty, after complying with the requisites of existing 
laws; and all other officers whose election or appointment is provided 
for by this constitution shall enter upon the discharge of the duties 
of their respective offices on the first Monday of April, eighteen 
hundred and eighty, after complying with the requirements of exist- 
ing laws; until which period all officers under the constitution of 
eighteen hundred and sixty- eight shall receive the pay and emolu- 
ments provided for under said constitution; provided^ that the pay of 
the officers elected or appointed under this constitution shall not 
commence until after their induction into office. The State treasurer 
elected in November, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, shall con- 
tinue in office as if elected at the election to be held on the first 
Tuesday in December, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine; but the 



CONSTITUTION. 313 

salary of said officer shall be as established by this constitution from 
and after the second Monday in January, eighteen hundred and 
eighty. 

Art. 265. The time of service of all officers chosen by the people 
at the first election under this constitution shall terminate as though 
the election had been holden on the first Tuesday after the first Mon- 
day in April, eighteen hundred and eighty. 

Art. 266. The judges of the courts of appeal, district judges, city 
judges, district attorney, coroner, clerks of courts, sheriffs, recorder 
of mortgages and register of conveyances, all of w^hose election and 
appointment are provided for by this constitution, in the parish of 
Orleans, shall only enter on the discharge of the duties of their re- 
spective offices on the first Monday of August, eighteen hundred and 
eighty, and the present incumbents shall continue until then in the 
performance of the duties of their respective offices and the enjoy- 
ment of the emoluments thereof as now prescribed by law. 

Art. 267. The general assembly is required to make provision for 
paying J. H. Gosgrove, printer of the convention, for the balance due 
him for work done previous to adjournment, and for all work that 
may be done by him after adjournment of the convention by its direc- 
tion; and shall make a special appropriation to liquidate the debt 
which this convention has contracted, authorizing the fiscal agent of 
the State to negotiate a loan of twenty-five thousand dollars; and also 
for the payment of such vouchers as may be issued by the chairman 
of the committee on contingent expenses, under the authority of this 
convention, in excess of the foregoing appropriation, for the purpose 
of enabling this convention to complete its work; provided, said 
vouchers are approved by the president of the convention. 

Art. 268. There shall not be any municipal election in the cities of 
New Orleans and Shreveport in December, eighteen hundred and 
seventy-nine. The general assembly shall provide for a municipal 
election in the city of New Orleans or such municipal corporations 
as may be created within the territorial limits of the parish of Orleans 
during the year eighteen hundred and eighty. The general assembly 
may fix the time for a municipal election in the city of Shreveport 
before April, eighteen hundred and eighty-four. 

MISCELLANEOUS ORDINANCES. 

Relief of Deli?iqueni Taxpayers. 

Art. I. Be it ordai?ied by the people of the State of Louisiana in 
convention assembled^ All interests, penalties, costs, fees and charges 
whatever on taxes and licenses due the State, or any political corpora- 
tion therein, prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and 
seventy-nine, and yet unpaid, are remitted, and all property forfeited 
to the State or any political corporation on account of non-payment of 
taxes or licenses, or to which the State or any political corporation now 
has a title, shall be redeemable, and the title to the State or any politi- 
cal corporation thereto annulled, upon the payment by the debtor or 
any interested party of the principal of all taxes and licenses that may 
be due thereon at the datejof redemption, and this right of redemption 



314 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

shall continue until the first day of January, eighteen hundred and 
eighty-one. In the event the principal of said taxes and licenses is not 
paid by said time, the interest, penalties, costs, fees and charges here- 
inbefore remitted shall revive and attach to the property upon which 
the taxes and licenses are due, and such property shall be then sold 
in the manner to be provided by law, and the title of the purchasers 
shall be full and complete; provided^ that nothing herein contained 
shall be construed as affecting the rights of third persons who may 
have purchased property, legally assessed and sold at tax sales, or 
from the State or any political corporation after the same was legally 
forfeited to or purchased by the State or such corporation ; and pro- 
vided further^ that nothing in this ordinance shall be taken as grant- 
ing any time for the payment of the principal of said taxes and 
licenses; ajid provided further ^ that interest shall accrue and be col- 
lected on the principal of said delinquent taxes and licenses at the 
rate of eight per cent, per annum from January first, eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty; and on all said taxes and licenses paid a discount of 
ten per cent, per annum shall be allowed from the date of payment to 
January first, eighteen hundred and eighty- one. (Act 1880, No. 49, 
93, 107.) That all taxes and licenses due the State prior to 
January first, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, may be paid as 
follows: I. That portion of said taxes and licenses due the general 
fund and all other funds, except as hereinafter provided, in any valid 
auditor's warrants outstanding at the date of the adoption of this consti- 
tution, except all warrants issued prior to the first of January, eighteen 
hundred and seventy-four, and also all warrants issued from the first 
of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, to first of January, 
eighteen hundred and seventy-five, for other purposes than for salaries 
of constitutional officers, or for the support of charitable institutions 
for the year eighteen hundred and seventy-four. That at the option 
of the holders of any of said warrants the said warrants may be 
funded in bonds of the denomination of five dollars, with interest 
coupons attached thereto, at the rate of three per cent, per annum 
interest from the first day of July, eighteen hundred and eighty; the 
said bonds to be due and payable six years from the first day of Jan- 
uary, eighteen hundred and eighty; the said coupons being payable 
at the State treasury on the first day of February and August of each 
year. All moneys received in the treasury for all taxes and licenses 
due the State prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and 
seventy-nine, except such as are otherwise provided for by this ordi- 
nance, shall be set aside to pay the interest on said five dollar bonds, 
and to provide a sinking fund to redeem the same. The bonds above 
provided and interest coupons shall also be receivable for amounts due 
to the State for the redemption or purchase of property which has 
been forfeited or sold to the State for delinquent taxes and licenses of 
any of the years named in this article. The bonds so issued shall be 
receivable for the said taxes and licenses and the obligations of the 
public charitable institutions of the State given for purchase of neces- 
sary supplies of food, clothing, medicine and hire of employes. 2. 
That portion of said taxes and licenses due the interest fund subse- 
quent to January, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, in any matured 
coupons issued by the State since that date. 3. That portion of said 



CONSTITUTION. 315 

tax due the levee fund since the year eighteen hundred and seventj- 
one to the year eighteen hundred and seventy-six, inclusive of both 
years, in any valid warrants issued by the levee company and endorsed 
by the auditor and treasurer of the State as follows: "Receivable for 
levee tax due for eighteen hundred and seventy-one to eighteen hun- 
dred and seventy-six inclusive;" and the auditor and treasurer are 
hereby authorized to so endorse warrants issued by the levee company, 
as provided above, to an amount sufficient to cover the balance due on 
the judgment recovered by said company in the case entitled Louis- 
iana Levee Company vs. the State of Louisiana, No. 7163 in the su- 
preme court of Louisiana. 

Be it further ordauied, etc., That no auditor's warrants shall be 
taken as valid for the purpose of payment of taxes and licenses or for 
funding, as hereinbefore prescribed, until the same shall have been 
examined by the auditor, treasurer and attorney-general of the State, 
and endorsed by them as valid. Said warrants when so endorsed, may 
be surrendered to said officers and by them registered and canceled; 
and in lieu thereof said auditor and treasurer shall issue certificates 
in sums of five, ten, twenty or fifty dollars, as may be desired by the 
holder of said warrants, which shall be receivable for all taxes and 
licenses due the State prior to January the first, eighteen hundred and 
seventy-nine, except the taxes due the interest fund and levee fund. 

Beit further ordained, That all taxes and licenses due any parish 
or municipal corporation prior to January first, eighteen hundred and 
seventy-nine, may be payable in any valid warrants, scrip or floating 
indebtedness of said parish or municipal corporation, except judg- 
ments. 

INDEBTEDNESS OF THE STATE TO ITS FISCAL AGENT. 

Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in convention 
assembled, That the debt due from the State to its fiscal agent, being 
in amount one hundred and eighty-seven thousand, seventy-seven dol- 
lars and twenty-four cents, subject to such reduction as may result 
from credits arising out of taxes due to the interest fund since June 
the thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, which said debt was 
created under the contract made between the board of liquidators and 
the fiscal agent, under date of the twenty-fifth of May, eighteen hun- 
dred and seventy-seven, and under act number twenty-eight, session 
of the legislature of eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, is hereby 
declared to be a valid obligation of the State; and the legislature 
shall, at its first session after the adoption of this constitution, pro- 
vide for the payment of the same; and the fiscal agent shall, as a con- 
dition precedent to said payment, surrender and deliver to the auditor 
of the State for cancellation the interest coupons which were taken 
up and held by said fiscal agent at the time of making the advances 
which created' the said indebtedness; but the interest to be allowed 
said fiscal agent shall be at the rate of four per cent, per annum until 
the debt is paid. 

LOAN BY FISCAL AGENT. 

Article i. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana in 
convention assembled, That the fiscal agent of this State shall be and 



316 HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 

is hereby empowered, by authority of this convention, to negotiate a 
loan of twenty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be 
necessary, at seven per cent, per annum, to defray the residue of the 
expenses of this convention not provided for by the act of the gen- 
eral assembly calling this convention, and to enable the convention 
to complete the work of framing the new constitution. 

Art. 2. The said loan shall be evidenced by certificates of indebt- 
edness, signed by the president of this convention and countersigned 
by the secretary thereof, under seal of this convention, in sums of 
five hundred dollars or under, bearing seven per cent, per annum in- 
terest from the date of such certificates until paid, and payable on 
the fifteenth day of March, A. D. eighteen hundred and eighty, at 
the State National Bank of New Orleans, in the city of New Orleans. 

Art. 3. The first general assembly convened under this constitu- 
tion shall make a special appropriation to liquidate the debt which 
this convention has contracted or may contract, as per ordinance 
adopted authorizing the fiscal agent ot the State to negotiate a loan 
of twenty-five thousand dollars for the purpose of enabling this con- 
vention to complete the work of framing this constitution. 

STATE DEBT.* 

Article i. Be it ordained by the people of the State of Louisiana^ 
as provided by law, That the State debt ordinance read as follows: 
That the interest to be paid on the consolidated bonds of the State of 
Louisiana be and is hereby fixed at two per centum per annum for 
five years, from January i, 1880, and four per centum per annum 
thereafter, payable semi-annually; and there shall be levied an an- 
nual tax suflScient for the full payment of said interest, not exceed- 
ing three mills, the limit of State tax tor all purposes being hereby 
fixed at six mills, and said bonds and coupons shall be duly stamped: 
'^ Interest reduced to two per centum per annum for five years from 
January i, 1880, and four per centum thereafter." 

Art. 2. That the holders of the consolidated bonds may at any 
time, in order that the coupons may be paid, present their bonds to 
the treasurer of the State, or to agents to be appointed by the gover- 
nor in the city of New York and the other in the city of Lon- 
don, and the said treasurer or agents, as the case may be, shall en- 
dorse or stamp thereon the words: "Interest reduced to two per 
centum per annum for five years from January i, 1880, and four per 
centum per annum thereafter," and said treasurer or agents shall 
endorse or stamp on said coupons the following words: "Interest 
reduced to two per centum per annum," 01 "Interest reduced to 
four per centum per annum," as the case may be." 

Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, etc., That the foregoing provisions 
and articles shall not form any part of the constitution, except as 
hereafter provided, as follows: At the election, as provided by law, it 
shall be lawful for each voter to have printed or written on his ballot 
the words "for amendment to ordinance relative to State debt," or 
the words, "against amendment to ordinance relative to State debt;" 

* As amended in 1882. 



CONSTITUTION. 317 

and in the event that a majority of ballots so cast be for the amend- 
ment to ordinance relative to State debt, then the said foregoingpro- 
visions and articles of this amendment shall form a part of the con- 
stitution, as if the same had been originally so ratified; and if a 
majority of the ballots so cast shall have on them the words, '^ against 
the amendment to ordinance relative to State debt," then said pro- 
visions and articles shall form no part of the constitution. 



INDEX 



PAGE. 

Aaron Burr 165-66 

Abadie 113 

Acadians..ii4,ii5,i35,i62,i64, 

223,250, 256 

Aime Valcour 202 

"Alabamma Mingo " 96 

Allen, H. W 235 

Almonaster Don Andres 137 

Americus Vespucius 2 

Annochy Indians 34, 38 

Apalaches 58, 62 

Apalachicola 58 

Area 253 

Arkansas Indians 14, 19 

Arkansas, Ram 221 

Armant, Col 225 

Ascantia Bayou 43 

Aubrj 114, 120, 128 

Audubon 254 

Austrian Succession, war of.. 108 

Bailey, Joseph 234 

Baker, Joshua 238 

Banks, N. P 226, 228, 234, 242 

Barataria 174 

Barbe, Marbois 150 

Bastrop 144 

Baton Rouge, 41, 80, 167, 168, 

198, 200, 211, 220 

Bayougoula Indians 34, 38 

Berwick Bay 226 

Bienville 29, 48, 54, 90, 98, 

100, 107, 108 

Biloxi, Fort 47, 57 

Biloxi, New 84 

Capital of Colony 83 

Black Code 90 

Boisblanc 116, 125, 127 

Boisbriant 49 

Bor6, Etienne de 142, 143 

Borgne, Lake, Battle of 178 

Bouligny, Francisco 145 

Braud, D 116, 125 

Breckinridge, John C 221, 222 



PAGE. 

Butler, Benj. F 217, 216 

Cabildo 153,155, 192 

Caddodaquois 55 

Cadillac, Lamothe 71 

Calhoun, John C 210 

Canada 8 

Canal, Carondelet 144 

Capital — 

Donaldsonville 198 

New Orleans 198 

Baton Rouge 198 

Shreveport 235 

Capuchins, French and Span- 
ish 129 

Caresse, Pierre 127 

Carnival 247 

Carondelet, Francois Louis 

Hector, Baron 139 

Carroll, Major-General 186 

Casa Calvo 146,152, 154 

Cat Island 32 

Cattle 164, 255 

Cession to Spain 112 

Chalmette 218 

Chandeleur Islands 31 

Charity Hospital 107 

Chateauguay 49, 91 

Chepart 93 

Chickasaws .58, 99, 104 

Churchill, General 232 

Civil War 209, 236 

Company of the West or Mis- 
sissippi ,77 

Constitutions-- 

Of 1811-12 170 

Of 1845 204 

Of 18^2 207 

Of 1864 272 

Of 1868 238, 242 

Of 1879 242, 259 

Cote des Allemands ' 88 

Cotton 164,185,194,203,218, 

249, 254 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA. 



PAGE. 

Cotton Seed 50 

Council, Superior and In- 
ferior 77 

Crevecoeur Fort i7 

Crozat, Antoine de 70 

D'Aquin, Major 181, 186 

D'Artaguette, Diron 67 

D'A-rtaguette, Commandant 

of the Illinois 100, 103 

Davion, Father 62 

Davis, Jefferson 213 

DeBore 151,153,157, 202 

DeClouet, Chevalier 136 

DeGraff, Lawrence 29 

De LaChaise 85 

Auguste 142 

Democrats 238, 240 

DeMuys 67, 68 

Derbigny 158, 200 

DeSoto, Hernando 5, 7 

Dominique, Captain..i76,i86, 191 

Doucet 119 

Dueling 205 

Duvergier 90 

Eads, Jas. B 243 

Education — 

College of Orleans 167 

Public Schools ■.... 167 

University at Baton Rouge.. 200 

Jefferson College 201 

Tulane 208 

Emancipation 229 

England Seizes American 

Sailors 172 

English Turn 48 

Epinaj, de 1', Governor 75 

Evangeline 256 

Exposition, Cotton Cen- 
tennial 246 

Farragut, David G 216, 220 

Filibusters 35 

Filles a la Cassette 93 

Flanders, B. F 238 

Florida ....2, 3 

Forstal, Nicholas 136 

Fort Bowyer 173 

Fort Butte a la Rose 226 

Fort de Russy 230 

Fort Jackson 216 

Fort Pike, Petites Coquilles.. 178 

Fort, Spanish 178 



PAGE. 

Fort St. Philip 178, 189, 216 

Fort Sumter 213 

Fortier 151, 153 

Foster, Murphy J 248 

Foucault, Father 62 

Foucault, Royal Commissary.. 125 

Fournet, Colonel 223 

France Buys Louisiana.... 148, 152 

Frontenac, Count of 11 

Fort t6 

Fruits 254 

Fuller, Captain 226 

Galvez, Don Bernardo 130 

Gas, Introduction in New Or- 
leans 198 

Gayarre 117, 167, 208 

Gayoso, Governor 145 

Geological features 253 

Germans 162, 185 

Gettysburg, Battle of 229 

Gibbs, General 187 

Grande Terre 174 

Gravier, Father James 62 

Green, General Thomas 

227, 230, 232 

Gypsum 255 

Hahn, Michael 235 

Hall, Dominic 157, 192 

Hebert, Paul 208 

Hennepin 18 

Holt, Joseph 245 

Houmas 42, 80 

Hubert 90 

Iberville, Pierre Lemoyne d' 

27,56, 59 

Iberville Bayou 43 

Immigrants 249, 255 

Indians 6,12,14,19,20,34,38, 

39,42,50,58,62,71,72,80,88, 

93,96, 164 

Inquisition 137, 138 

Islingues 136, 163 

Jackson, Andrew 173, 176 

179,181, 187, 191 

Jackson Square 152, 191 

Jefferson, Thomas 149, 156 

Jesuits 92 

Jetties 243 

Johnson, Henry 199 

Johnson, Isaac 205 

Joliet, Louis 10, 11 



INDEX. 



321 



PAGE. 

Jones, Thomas Ap Catesby.... 178 

Joutel 25, 28 

Jumonville, de Villiers no 

Jury, trial by 159 

Kappas Indians 14, 19 

Keane, General 183, 187 

Kellogg, William P 239, 240 

Kennon, Beverly 217 

Kentuckians 185 

Kerlerec, de, Governor 109 

Labadieville 225 

Lacoste.. 186 

Lafayette 197 

Lafittes 174, 176 

Lafreniere 116, 121^ 

Lake Borgne 178 

Lambert 188 

La Ronde 180 

Laussat 150 

La Salle 21, 25 

Law, John 76 

Lee 229, 234 

Legislature 157 

Leon, Ponce de 3 

Lesassier 120 

Levees 109, 2^4 

Lincoln 213 

Literature 250 

Lottery 247 

Louis XIV 70 

Louis XV 70 

Louisiana, named i, 21 

45, 70, 112 

Sold to France 148 

Purchased 149 

Limits in 1803 155 

Division 156 

Territory 157 

State 170 

Secedes , 212 

Reconstructed 238 

Lovell, M. S 219 

Manchac 41, 80 

Mansfield 231 

Marquette, Jacques 11, 15 

Maison Rouge, Marquis de... . 144 

Marquis, Pierre 122, 125, 127 

Masan 125 

Massacre Island 31 

Changed to Dauphin 80 

Matagorda Bay.. 25 



PAGE. 

Maurepas Fort 50 

Maurepas Lake 44 

Maurepas, Jerome, count of.. 26 

Mauvilla Indians 6 

McEnery, S. D 242, 245 

McEnery, J 240 

Metropolitan Police 238 

Mexican War 206 

Milhet, Jean 116, 125, 127 

Milhet, Joseph 116, 125, 127 

Miro, Estevan i33"39 

Mississippi Bubble 85 

Mississippi River i, 2, 3, 8, 

. 12, 133, 162, 216, 217 
Mobile Bay 30 

Fort St. Louis de la 59 

Mongoulacha Indians ..34, 39, 71 

Monroe, James 149 

Monroe, Mayor 218 

Moore, Thos. 212, 223 

Morgan, Thos 202 

Morgan, General 188 

Mouton, Alex 204, 211 

Mouton, Alfred 224, 227, 230 

Mumford, W. B 219 

Napoleon 148, 160 

Narvaez 4 

Natchez 20, 50, 72, 88, 93, 96 

Natchitoches 54, 71, 75 

Necessity Fort no 

Negro Insurrection 144 

Negroes 178, 181, 186, 191, 

203, 229, 237, 240 
New Orleans 38, 79, 86, 80, 219 

Battle of 183 

Nicholls, F. T 240, 241, 247 

Noyan de Bienville 91, 125 

Ogden, F. N 239 

Oranges 50, 254 

O'Reilly 121, 128 

Orleans, Duke of 70 

Packard 240 

Pakenham 183, 189 

Panmure Fort 113 

Parishes 162, 203, 253, 257 

Pascagoula 34, 80 

Pauger 85, 87 

Pennicault 69 

Pensacola 30, 81, 131, 88 

Ferier governor 92- 

Perique 254 



322 



HISTORY OF LOUISIANA, 



PAGE. 

Pinchback, P. B. S 238 

Pineda 3 

Plauche, Mayor 181, 186 

Pleasant Hill 232 

Polignac, Prince 230, 231 

Pontchartrain, Count Louis 

de 26, 44 

Porter, D. D 216, 230, 232, 234 

Port Hudson 222, 226, 228 

Poupet 127 

Poydras 157, 163, 170 

Public Domain 199 

Quarantine 245 

Quincj, Josiah 169 

Quinipissa Indians 38, 39 

Railroad, First 198 

Reconstruction 237 

Rice 249, 254 

Red River 7, 20 

Right of Deposit 142, 146 

Robertson, Thos. B 199 

Roman, Governor 200 

Rosalie, Fort 71, 75 

Salcedo 149, 152 

Salt Mines.. 224, 253 

Sauvole 29, 56 

Secession 170, 210, 212 

Secession, Right of 235 

Sedella, Antonio de 137, 138 

Serignj, de 81 

Ship Island 31 

Slaves — 

Insurrection of 144, 168 

Introduction Forbidden 157 

Slavery Abolished 237 

Smith, A. J 230 

Smith, Kirby 226, 232, 233 

Soil 253 

Spain sells Louisiana 148 

Speculation 196, 201 

Steamboat, First 171 

St. Denis 49, 55, 63 

St. Ildefonso, Treaty 148 | 



PAGE. 

St. Louis, Bay 80 

Sugar Cane — 

First planted 49 

Refining 201 

Cultivated by Jesuits 109 

Increased Cultivation 203 

Sugar Making 113, 143 

Supreme Court, Seizure of.... 241 

Taylor, Geneial Z 206 

Taylor, General Richard. .223, 237 

Teche 225, 230 

Tensas village and Indians. .51, 52 

Tonty, Henri de 39, 50, 66 

Treaty of St. Ildefonso 148 

Treaty of Madrid 142 

Treaty of Utrecht 72 

Ulloa 117, 121 

University, see Education. 

Unzaga, Don Luis de 128, 130 

Ursulines Sisters 92 

Utrecht, treaty of 72 

Vaudreuil, Marquis de 107 

Vicksburg 227-28 

Villere, Joseph. .116, 125, 126, 127 

Villere, Gov. James 194-95 

Villere, Major 180 

Walker, Governor 207 

War 1812 172 

War, Mexican 205 

War, Civil 209-236 

Warmoth, H. C 238 

Washington Artillery 214 

Webster, Dan 210 

Weitzel, General 225-28 

Wells, J. M 238 

White, Gov. E. D 203 

White League 239, 241 

Wickliffe, R. C 208 

Wilkinson, General 136, 155 

Wiltz, L. A 242 

Wisconsin River 12 

Yellow Fevei .195, 208, 245 



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